Losing
by Tauria
Summary: What happens when Chiro has a strange dream... and the next day, his Power Primate is gone?
1. Prologue: Strange Dreams

**Tauria: **I had this random idea when I was coming up with ideas for my other stories (which I am having writer's block on ))):) I hope you like it!

**Disclaimer: **I DO NOT OWN SRMT**  
><strong>

**Losing  
><strong>

**Prologue**

I stood on the shoulder of the giant Robot on which I lived. I was attempting to look down at Shuggazoom City, but I was failing. It wasn't because I had bad eyesight . . . no, it was because of the fog that had settled over Shuggazoom. It was also kind of cold out . . . so I felt like an idiot wearing short sleeved pajamas. And Nova wasn't going to be happy . . . she hated the cold. A cold breeze blew by. I shivered. I needed to get warm. It was also night out. I needed to be getting to bed. But . . . yet for some reason I couldn't. It wasn't because I wasn't tired, because I was.

It was because I had this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I _couldn't _sleep. I shivered again. But this time it wasn't from the cold. It was because of that weird feeling. I sighed. I knew that I had to get up early because we needed extra training because we hadn't been getting much lately. Antauri was going to kill me if he found out I was staying up so late. I sighed.

I turned to go, but I couldn't help but risk _one_ more glance at Shuggazoom City. I wanted to at least _try _to make out some sort of shape of a building or _something_ out of it. I found that sometimes, looking at the city when it was peaceful, and not destroyed, that it calmed me down if I was upset, or if I couldn't sleep, or if I was angry . . . and it also helped me relax . . . and it was just a beautiful city. But, I made nothing out. I knew I probably wouldn't have, but it was disappointing all the same. I went inside, feeling disappointed.

I decided to settle for a snack or something. I went to the kitchen and made myself a sandwich. I drank some water and then went to bed. I lay down under the covers. I closed my eyes, the weird feeling still in my stomach. I tried to fall asleep and failed. So, I read for a while. But, when that didn't work, I tried pacing. Finally, I laid back down and forced my eyes to close, and then . . . finally, I fell into a blissful sleep. But it took several hours. It was probably around midnight before I actually went to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>As I slept, I dreamed . . . <em>

_I was in a dark place. It looked like rocky mountains near a giant pit. There was no grass at all. It was completely barren of any life. I began to walk . . . but, not away like I wanted. I walked towards the pit instead. As I walked to the pit, I passed dead bodies. I shivered. None of the bodies looked like they were from this time period. They looked old . . . very old . . . I would have to ask Antauri about it later when I told him about the dream.  
><em>

_"Chiro . . . you . . . have . . . something . . . I . . . want," a hoarse voice said from the pit. It seemed old . . . and weak . . . It echoed across the land, and was made more powerful then it really was. A deathly cold breeze went through the barren wasteland. I shivered again.  
><em>

_"W-what could I possibly have that you want?" I asked. Somehow I knew that this voice was more powerful then Skeleton King. And I was scared. But I didn't understand why. He couldn't do anything. Could he?  
><em>

_"You . . . know . . . what . . . I . . . want . . ." he said creepily. I was reminded of a horror movie Sprx had watched once . . .  
><em>

_"N-no! I don't," I said honestly. I hated that I was showing fear . . . I hated stuttering.  
><em>

_I reached the pit and looked down, like an idiot. A pair of completely white eyes stared at me from the bottom of a pit . . . yet this pit was nothing like the Pit of Doom . . . yet it was familiar. "Mm . . . perhaps . . . not . . .yet . . . but . . . you . . . will . . . Chiro . . . You . . . will . . . soon . . . you . . . and . . . your . . . monkey . . . team . . ."_

_I shook my head. "N-no . . . you're imprisioned! You can do nothing to harm us!" I said firmly, truly believing in my words . . . even if I wasn't so sure they were true.  
><em>

_He laughed. It was cold, and cruel. "You . . . will . . . find . . . out . . . just . . . how . . . wrong . . . you . . . are . . . boy . . . when . . . you . . . train . . tomorrow . ." He grinned like the Cheshire cat and disappeared. I was left alone for a few moments before I awoke.  
><em>

* * *

><p>I awoke feeling cold and scared. But I couldn't figure out what had scared me about that dream. It was just a dream. I got up and went back to the top of the Robot. As I looked down, I saw that the fog had increased. I shivered, as the cold had increased as well. I went back inside, mentally telling myself it would be okay, that it had all been a dream . . . but deep inside, I knew that I was wrong. I went back to bed. <p>

* * *

><p><strong>Tauria: <strong>Mm . . . that was interesting . . . please tell me what you think! :DD_  
><em>


	2. Gone

**Tauria**: Another chapter! Yay! I like this chapter! I worked hard on it . . .

**Chiro: **-sighs- I don't like this chapter . . . It's a good idea and all, but I don't like it.

**Skeleton King: **I like most of this chapter -grins evilly-

**Tauria and Chiro: **SKELETON KING? WHEN DID YOU GET HERE?

**SK: **Just a few minutes ago.

**Tauria: **-sighs knowing there is no point in telling them to go away- Okay, one of you do the disclaimer.

**SK and Chiro: **TAURIA DOES NOT OWN SRMT!

**Tauria: **Or both of you that works too.

**SK and Chiro: **-fight in the background each saying it was their turn-

**Tauria: **Or not . . . enjoy the new chapter! :DD**  
><strong>

**Chapter One**

I awoke the next morning, still tired. I felt like there was something missing . . . something important, but then I chewed myself out mentally, knowing I shouldn't have stayed up so late last night, and then maybe I wouldn't be imagining things. I sighed and got out of bed. I pulled on an orange t-shirt, and jeans. Then, I headed down stairs and sat at the breakfast table. Antauri raised an eyebrow at me, and I knew that he knew that I had stayed up last night. I offered him a small smile and started eating.

"This is really good Antauri!" Sprx complimented him. And he was right . . . Antauri wasn't a bad cook. Aw, what was I sayin'. Antauri is a _great _cook.

"Yeah, it is." I grinned.

Otto said his thanks too . . . except you couldn't understand him very well because his mouth was full.

"Otto, don't talk with your mouth full," Antauri said before Gibson could. He said it gently, unlike the condescending tone Gibson would've taken. I mean, don't get me wrong, Gibson isn't a bad guy . . . it's just sometimes he thought that he was smarter then the rest of us at everything, and that would lead to him getting a big head. I mean, he is a genius, but he isn't smarter then everyone at everything.

Otto nodded and gulped down the mouthful of food he had swallowed. "Okay Antauri. Sorry. But, what I said was, 'This is an awesome breakfast! It's perfect to get us motivated for training!'"

I smiled. Otto reminded me of a little kid sometimes. He was a mechanical genius and a lot deeper then he may seem. He had these really random deep moments that showed you how deep he really is. He was also really sweet. He made me laugh, and sometimes he made me want to cry. But that was very rare. He is usually very happy, and when the rest of us are down, he was always there to cheer us up.

"Thank you Otto. I'm glad you are enjoying it," Antauri smiled.

"Yeah . . . you can see how much he enjoyed it. It's all over his face," Sprx commented, laughing.

Otto laughed. "Yep!" He continued to eat.

Gibson sighed. He was always forced to sit between Otto and Sprx, our two messiest eaters. Antauri sat across from Gibson, and I sat on his left side, across from Sprx, and Nova sat on his right side, across from Otto. Gibson always ended up being covered in food.

Once we finished, Gibson washed all of the food that had gotten on him. Then, Nova did the dishes, and Otto put them away. We went to the training room once that was done.

I remembered how the creature last night said that I would find out what he had taken the next morning. I shook my head and put it out of my mind.

"You okay, Kid?"

"Yeah, Sprx. I'm fine." I smiled at him. He grinned up at me. Antauri started the training session. We entered the training room and I entered hyper mode . . . or rather, I _tried _to enter hyper mode, but I couldn't! I tried multiple times. But . . . nothing happened. I looked up, confused. "What's going on?"

Antauri looked at me, and tilted his head to the side, as if trying to see something. "Chiro . . . I do believe your Power Primate is . . . well, either missing, or dormant."

I thought back to my dream. "But . . . how?"

He closed his eyes. "I do not know. Whatever, or whoever, took it is blocking their mind from mine. Do you have _any _idea what could have happened?"

Once again I thought back to my dream. "Nope, nothing," I lied. I wasn't for sure why I wasn't telling him what had happened. I wasn't ashamed . . . no . . . and although I was scared, it wasn't that. I didn't know what it was . . .

His eyes searched mine for a few moments in time. He nodded. "Very well, Chiro. You shall man the controls." He began giving out instructions to the rest of the team.

Although I knew that manning the controls for training was an important job, I couldn't help but feel that I was useless. I sat behind the controls and watched as the team trained. I sighed softly. I remembered when the team had first told me that I was gonna be their leader. I remembered how I was so disbelieving of them. I laughed mentally. I remembered how many times we had to get each other out of tough scrapes. We were there for each other through thick and thin. I sighed again. Now, I couldn't be there for them if they needed me . . . life sucked at that moment in time.

* * *

><p><em>Skeleton King's P.O.V<em>

I stood on a rocky, barren field. There were marks of the old war everywhere. Many had died. Now, this place was thought to have disappeared. But it was not so. Every time some one tried to step here, they were transported to the other side without even knowing it. I went to the giant pit, stepping on or over bodies. I really didn't care which I did.

I knelt before the pit, staring into the dark abyss. "Master," I said in a low voice. I hated that one such as I should have to resort to calling one such as he 'Master'.

A pair of white eyes shone in the darkness. "Skeleton . . . King . . . how . . . good . . . it . . . is . . . to . . . see . . . you . . ."

"Why are you still so weak master? What about the power you gained from the boy?"

"It . . . is . . . there . . . but . . . it . . . is . . . too . . . much . . . power . . . to . . . soak . . . up . . . all . . . at . . . once . . ."

I nodded. I stood again. "Master, why did you want the boy's power? Why not take his and the rest of the Hyper Force's?"

"Because . . . you . . . proved. . . many . . . times . . . in . . . the . . . past . . . that . . . you . . . could . . . handle . . . the . . . Monkey . . . Team . . . as . . . long . . . as . . . the . . . boy . . . wasn't . . . there . . ."

I gritted my teeth. He was right. "Of course master. I should've known, master. Thank you for your kindness master. When will you be strong enough to break free of this pit?"

"The . . . boy . . . must . . . be . . . lured . . . or . . . brought . . . here . . . for . . . I . . . need . . . him . . . himself . . . to . . . regain . . . my . . . full . . . strength . . . I . . . will . . . be . . . stronger . . . tonight . . . when . . . I . . . visit . . . his . . . dreams . . . again . . ."

I nodded. "Of course Master . . . I shall bring you the boy . . ."

An evil grin shone through the abyss then as well. "Thank . . . you . . . my . . . servant . . . You . . . shall . . . be . . . greatly . . . rewarded . . . Now . . leave . . me . . . to . . . my . . . rest . . ."

I bowed. "Yes master. You're welcome master." I turned and left, as his eyes and mouth disappeared, leaving only darkness in it's wake.

* * *

><p><em>Chiro's P.O.V<em>

After training, I did lessons with Gibson, piloting with Sprx, mechanics with Otto, and then I went to Antauri's room.

"Antauri?" I asked him, as he floated in the air.

"Yes, Chiro?" He asked, opening his eyes.

"I want to know about one of the first wars of Shuggazoom. Will you tell me?" I asked. Before then, I had no idea how I was going to ask when I had no idea about the time period. But, when I searched my brain for an answer, I got one.

"The very first recorded war of Shuggazoom was fought in a place that no longer exists. No one knows what happened to it, but all of the scholars of that time described it as rocky and barren. The only color there was gray, and the only thing that was different about it for miles around was the giant pit in the middle . . . very much like the Pit of Doom. The only life there was those who fought in the war. Many died, and they fought a king, who had accepted power from the Dark One's themselves. He was very much like Skeleton King, except he still lived. His flesh was pallid and gray, his dark hair hung lose and in strands, leaving a giant bald spot on the middle of his head. His eyes were white and pupil-less. He wanted to rule over the entire planet of Shuggazoom. He killed many of them, until a man who called himself the Alchemist imprisoned him in the pit. He cursed the family line of this Alchemist. He said that one day, one of his descendants was going to be turned into one of the most evil being since he himself. He has been trapped in that pit since."

"How does a whole place just disappear? Was the man who called himself the Alchemist an ancestor of the Alchemist who created you?"

"I don't know, Chiro. And it is possible."

I nodded. "Why was he so much more powerful than Skeleton King?"

"Scholar's believe that the Dark One's gave this king more power then they have given anyone before. The power they gave him made them weak, and because he failed, they never gave that much power to any mortal again. In fact, Skeleton King was the first they gave any power too since then that I know of."

I nodded again. "Right. Thanks."

"Why the sudden interest?"

"I just wanted to know . . . it's just something I've been thinking about. I was pondering doing an extra credit history paper for Gibson and that is what I wanted my topic to be on."

Antauri nodded. "I look forward to reading it then. Now, on with meditation."

We began to mediate, but it was especially hard for me today because I had so much on my mind. But Antauri has almost endless patience luckily. I don't know how he does it. It's like nothing fazes him. Finally, I succeeded in clearing my mind.

* * *

><p><em>Later That Night<em>

I went to bed, completely exhausted. I fell asleep, only to once again dream of that barren wasteland.

_I walked across the land to the pit, even though I wanted to go the opposite direction. _

_"Do you understand what I wanted now?" The voice asked. This time it was no longer hoarse . . . and nor was it weak. This time it was powerful, and strong. I reached the pit and looked down. I saw filmy white eyes staring back at me. I trembled in fear. "That is right . . . tremble in fear child. One day, you and I will meet . . . when I am back to my full strength." _

_"You will never get back your old strength! The monkey team will stop you!" I yelled desperately, searching for something to hold on too. _

_"The monkey team cannot stop me, boy. I am too powerful, even now, for them to stop me! And I shall rise again . . . and it shall be _you _who allows it to be so." _

_"I would never help you!" I said. _

_"You still believe in your family?" _

_I nodded, firm in my believe that the monkey team would stop him. _

_"You poor, naive child . . . tomorrow you shall find out exactly how weak you and your pitiful monkey team are compared to me!" _

_I shuddered, still trembling. "We will stop you!" I hated how weak my voice sounded . . . and how utterly not confident. _

_He laughed a grinned a toothy grin at me. Then, he disappeared, and I woke up. _

* * *

><p>I sat right up in bed, still trembling. I went downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed something to drink. I drank that and ate a snack. Then, I went back to my room, jumping at every shadow. I closed my eyes in a hurry, wanting sleep, knowing that my nightly visit was over, and I could sleep peacefully. I soon fell asleep.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Tauria: <strong>Well, I hope you liked it! I liked it!

**SK and Chiro: **-still fighting-

**Tauria: **-sighs- I'm gonna go pull them apart and while I do that, please review! :DD OH! And before I forget, I put a link to my FictionPress account on my profile, but if want to get to it faster then type in FictionPress .com and type in 'Tauria' and then that's me! I have one story on there, and if you want to review, then I have it set up to where I can get anonymous reviews :DD


	3. The Decision Has Been Made

**Tauria: **I'M BACK! I know that I have been gone for a long time, but I will explain why. My laptop wire broke, because the puppy chewed on it. The wire _still _has not arrived, but luckily all of my stories are stored on my flash drive. Also, I, like many of you, have to go to school, and school takes up a lot of my time, considering I have to keep my grades up, which is of course obvious, but it is very crucial to my life at this moment in time. Also, I went through a period of writer's block for some of my stories until this morning.

**Chiro: **Yeah, yeah. I hate you.

**Tauria: **I know. Chiro is not happy with this chapter, and neither are the rest of the monkeys. They are currently giving me the silent treatment. But I am happy. This is my LONGEST CHAPTER EVER! It breaks THREE THOUSAND words (WITHOUT an author's note! EEP!) and has a lot of action and a lot of plot twisting and wringing and beginning. So, I am very proud, and sometimes when an author is very proud, her characters are very mad. Like right now.

**Chiro: **-joins monkeys in giving the silent treatment-

**Tauria: **-sighs- Just do the disclaimer.

**Chiro: **Tauria does NOT own SRMT, and thank god for that!

**Tauria: **I love you too, Chiro.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

I awoke the next morning with a feeling of dread deep in the pit of my stomach. I shivered as a cold breeze entered the Robot. A little confusedly, I looked around, as if I expected to see something in the breeze. But there was nothing, just like I knew there wouldn't be. _'Chiro . . .'_ a voice said in my mind. I jumped, and gulped. I _knew _that the old king had gained more power, and he was probably using _my _Power Primate to do so! "What?" I muttered, throwing the blankets to the side and heading over to my closet.

_'I told you that I would prove to you that you and your monkey team are no match for me, and I intend to do just that,' _the evil king said in my mind.

I gulped again. "I know," I muttered. "Leave me alone!"

He cackled and left my mind, and I hastily threw on a pair of old jeans and a green t-shirt with a blue jacket. I hurried downstairs, where the smell of breakfast usually would seep through the walls and into my nose as my stomach growled, eager for breakfast. Instead, there was no smell of warm fluffy pancakes, or buttery biscuits, or any of the mouth watering food Antauri usually made. Instead, the cold breeze brought the smell of various chemicals came from the lab. My stomach churned with dread once more. I hurried into Gibson's lab, and Otto lay on the examination table as four worried monkeys hovered over him.

_'Let me explain,' _the evil king said, _'each monkey shall get sick, one by one, starting with the youngest . . . and there will be no cure. The only way they will get better is for you to agree to work with me, and after they all fall sick, you will only have three days to do so. Then, they will recover, but you both will be forced to suffer as you fight each other._'

I frowned heavily. "Otto," I whispered. _'You are a sick, twisted creature,' _I thought to him as he gave another chuckle and left my mind once more. I went over to the table, each of my steps heavy and laden with guilt. "How's he doing?" I asked Gibson softly.

"Horribly. I've never encountered this illness before. It was supposed to have died out back in the first war. Once the evil king was gone, all of the people who hadn't died from it recovered, and it never plagued us again," Gibson said.

"Well . . . maybe this is just an imitation of the old disease, done by Skeleton King to scare us," Nova said hopefully. Sprx slid his arm around her shoulders in wordless comfort.

"Perhaps," Gibson said, but you could tell he didn't believe it. He was just saying to make Nova happy and avoid Sprx's glare that he would give Gibson if he had crushed Nova's hopes.

Nova leaned against Sprx, resting her head on his shoulder. I swallowed, knowing that Sprx would be the next to fall ill. I hated that I couldn't tell them. I mean, I suppose I could have, but then that could make it worse on them especially.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Sprx asked, in a voice choked with emotion.

Gibson shrugged. "It's too early to tell . . . most victims didn't recover . . ."

Sprx, Nova, and I frowned sadly. Antauri's expression didn't change. He had already known that, and it times like these, Antauri always went all emotionless guru.

"I'm trying my best . . . but sadly my best isn't entirely good enough," Gibson said sadly.

"Gibson, just continue to do your best. That's all any of us can ask. We need you," I told him. "Besides, your doing more for him then we can at this point in time." I patted his back, as he looked up at me with thanks written in his eyes. "I'll be back," I said. "I need to go think somethings over." The monkeys nodded.

"That would be wise for us all to do. Gibson and I shall stay in here with Otto . . . the rest of you, do something to help you think," Antauri said, speaking for the first time that morning. We nodded and left. I went to my room and laid down, staring at the ceiling, with my arms behind my head. It was killing me inside to have seen Otto laying on the table, a sickly green color, when normally he was always so bouncy and full of life. It served as a reminder to me that sometimes life can be unfair, and that even the best of us can still fall.

I closed my eyes, but found no comfort in it. I continued to see the scene of my night mare with all of the monkeys lying like Otto had . . . except not even shallow breath came from their bodies. They had died. I snapped my eyes open and sighed.

_'Why? Why must this happen to Otto? Otto of all the monkeys? Why choose him?' _I cried out into my thoughts, for once trying to speak with him instead of the other way around.

_'Is it not obvious?' _He asked only seconds later. _'He is the child of the team, aside from you, and I need you in perfect health. His getting sick will touch all of the team equally, not just separate members harder then others. He is the life of your team. Without him all falls apart,' _the king snickered.

I frowned. He was right. Otto's getting sick had an equal effect on us all. _'Once again, you are a sick and twisted excuse for a creature,' _I snarled mentally.

He snickered and left my mind.

* * *

><p><strong>Sprx's Point of View<strong>

I watched the Kid sadly head to his room. Nova headed towards the training room after giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. I headed towards the Fist Rocket. I needed to relax, like Antauri had said, and the best way to do that was to fly around the city. I also needed to think and where better to do that with my head literally up in the clouds. I smiled at my little joke, but the smile disappeared as quickly as it had come. I entered the fist rocket, and disengaged from the Robot. I flew high above the city, where I had an aerial view. As I did so, I thought about poor little Otto.

Otto was annoying, but he was my little brother. He may have made me wanna pull my fur out piece by piece, but he was always there for us if we needed him. He fixed everything, and even made a good listener, despite the fact he was a little hyper. He had more good traits then bad ones, if you really thought about it. He was sweet, smart, and really friendly. Occasionally he was a little shy, but most of the time he was a pretty cool monkey. He was smarter then he seemed, and often outsmarted even Gibson. Otto was . . . is . . . part of the glue that holds us all together. He keeps the Robot running efficiently, and in peak condition. He lifts everyone's spirits with jokes, and his confusion. He makes you happy, because he is just one of those people whom you can't be sad around. He's smart enough to know when a secret should be kept, but sometimes he forgets, and we love him for it.

So why'd he have to get sick?

I think the answer is simple.

If that evil king dude who started the first war of Shuggazoom_ is _back, then he would want to get the heroes out of the way. That's us. So he spends some time spying on us, maybe even getting an alliance with Skeleton King, who's fought against us from the beginning. He finds out how we work, and what makes us tick. So, he finds out we all really care for Otto, and that he's like the baby of the team, even though Chiro is the youngest. So, he sends that illness after him first, knowing that it'll hurt all of us really bad. But he also knows it's gonna raise our suspicions that he might be back. I don't know enough to predict his next move though . . .

I flew around in circles for a bit as I came up with theory after theory, each one becoming more ridiculous so I could have something to laugh about. I looked out the window and watched the clouds for a few minutes, and then decided to head back to the Robot.

* * *

><p><strong>Nova's Point of View<strong>

I kissed Sprx on the cheek once Chiro had sadly left to go to his room. I entered the training room as I knew Sprx would head to the fist rocket. I knew that the fist rocket helped him relax and think, in the same way that beating the scrap out of the training dummies left me relaxed and able to think. After about twelve dummies, I slowly started to relax, as my muscles stretched and tightened as I tensed and loosened in the eternal dance that hero and villain do over and over.

Just like poor little Otto was going through it now. Maybe in a bit different style then we've combated before, but the dance is the same. Strike, block, strike, block, strike, hit, block, strike, hit. The dance is ever changing, but the results never turn out any different. We've always won in the past. Maybe not the little battles, but we usually end up winning the bigger one. Getting knocked down only gives you more reason to get back on your feet.

Yeah, sure you sulk about it, but you dust it off after a while. Then, you find away to make the other person fall. It's also an eternal dance between hero and villain. Even when sicknesses cold fingers find their way into your fur, you still have to defeat it. You keep on with the cycle.

I chuckled to myself. I'd been hanging around with Antauri way too much. He's rubbed off on me. Not that that is a bad thing. No quite to the contrary. I enjoyed hanging out with my older brother, especially when I could understand them. It had been _him _who had helped me control my temper, when others had said I couldn't do it.

I smiled. I envisioned Sprx in my mind. Ever since I had told him my true feelings, things had been great for us. He had been another person who had stuck up for me when the others had said I couldn't control myself. I owed a lot to him. I had gotten mad at him a lot over the years, and looking back over that, we reminded me of the way kindergarteners will pick on others, because their not quite sure how to express themselves just yet.

During that time, I had become close to Otto. He was always there to talk, and despite his chattiness, and his hyper-ness, he was a really good listener. Just thinking about him brought tears to my eyes. He didn't deserve to be laying on that exam table right now the way he was. He was supposed to the one that was full of life and energy, and always so happy. But now he needs us more then anything. The poor thing . . .

I defeated the last of the dummies, and had worked off all of my frustration and tenseness. I joined Chiro and Sprx as we headed back to Gibson's lab.

* * *

><p><strong>Chiro's Point of View<strong>

Nova joined Sprx and I as we silently walked back to Gibson's lab. I felt like I was walking to my own funeral. I had the key to the whole thing, but I was too much of a chicken to use it. Once we entered, Antauri heard all of our stomachs growl in unison, and he said, "Chiro, perhaps you and Sprx should run and get Mr. Gakslapper's."

Sprx and I nodded. "Alright," we agreed. Antauri knew we liked going to Mr. Gakslapper's . . . but it made me sad that we had to go without Otto. We got there, and Mr. Gakslapper gave us a wide smile. We returned the smile halfheartedly. His smile faded. "Where's Otto?"

"He's sick," I said softly.

Mr. Gakslapper nodded. "Poor monkey . . . well, I wish him well," he said as he handed us our usual order. "I put one for Otto in there, in case he gets hungry," Mr. Gakslapper said.

We nodded, with a quiet thanks, and we went back to the Robot. The rest of the day continued with our classes and things, and then we all went to bed. For once, I was eager to sleep, wanting to confront the strange king that had cursed my family . . . but that night the dream never came. He didn't contact me.

* * *

><p>The next morning I awoke and went downstairs to find that Sprx had fallen ill as well. I frowned, as I saw Nova sitting by his bed side, clutching his hand in hers as she held it close to her heart. She was crying softly. I frowned more. Nova didn't cry often. I went over to her and hugged her. Antauri's usually stoic expression was faltering some as he tried to console her. I didn't bother to ask why the king had chosen Sprx next. It was easy. Nova didn't ever cry. To see her cry would unnerve all of us. Gibson was going back and forth between Otto and Sprx as he tried to take care of both of them.<p>

Nova hugged me back, quietly sobbing into my shoulder. I stroked the back of her head, and comforted her to the best of my ability. I loved her like my sister. I kissed the top of her head, offering her what little comfort I could. The next day, Gibson fell ill, and then Nova followed suit.

Antauri would be next . . . but how could he get sick with his fully robotic body? With that tiny, frail little hope to cling to, I went to bed. The next morning when I awoke, I rushed downstairs still in my pajamas. Antauri wasn't in med bay, hovering over the others like he had been even more since Gibson had fallen ill. I rushed up to his room, but Antauri wasn't there either. I searched the entire inside of the robot, and finally walked out onto the shoulder, where a powered down Antauri lay, lifeless. I did everything I could to try and turn him back on, but nothing worked. I shook him, and called out his name, but that didn't work either. Tears rolling down my cheeks, I carried him to Med Bay, where I looked through all of his and Gibson's notes, trying to find some sort of help, or comfort.

None of their notes helped at all. I looked through old history books, and searched the internet to look up some of the accounts of the sickness. This is what I found:

_'This sickness has plagued families of those the king has wanted something from. The king does not merely toy with us for enjoyment, as his predecessors did. He toyed with our minds, but only because he got something out of it. Not like he didn't enjoy it as he did though. The sickness mostly attacks us when the sun first rises, and his hold over the night ends. It is during the time his power transitions from the night people to the day people. For this reason, it is called the** Ortus morbus, **or the sunrise sickness. It is the time that we are weakest, and he regains his strength and hold over the world._

-_Dr. Al Chemist_

I frowned. Antauri went to the Robot's shoulder every morning to see the sunrise. That must have been when he fell ill. I sighed. I had no choice. I made my decision, and I dressed in a dark blue t-shirt, a forest green jacket, and jeans. I also put on a pair of running sneakers. I didn't leave a note, knowing that leaving one could ruin my chances of being convincing. I packed a small backpack of stuff to take, and then I left, following my instincts as to where it might be. I flew above the city on my jet pack. My heart felt heavy in my chest as the citizens cheered for me. They didn't know what sick act I was about to commit. I hated myself at that moment, and I hated the evil king even more.

But I had made my decision, and I would do this. For them. And only for them. I needed them alive, and so did those citizens. And they needed to do their job. I would find a way to come back. I was the Chosen One. I was supposed to _fight _Skeleton King, right? So if I was to _fight _him, I couldn't be working with him. In the end, I must end up back with the monkeys. I tried to reassure myself, but I knew that my chances were slim.

I made my decision. And I already hated it. This is going to be interesting.

* * *

><p><strong>Tauria: <strong>Chiro is now completely not speaking to me. He is ignoring the crap out of me. So, it's up to me to say Please review, just like last chapter! So, please review, it really helps my motivation. I want to thank some ppls though.

Annime-for being an awesome friend, and not getting mad that I have not posted in over a month. :DD

LS7-for all of her awesome reviews and ALSO not getting mad that I have not posted in over a month.

You know what? I wanna thank you ALL for that. So, ty.

sprx77fan01- for letting me use the computer. Ty sissy.

Airbender tori b-for reading my stories and giving such wonderful reviews :DD

Ennalight- for reading my stories, and giving such awesome reviews and tips. They are very much appreciated.

Animegal24- for reading and reviewing as well. Reveiws are such wonderful things.

Now, I will shut up, and you guys can do that wonderful thing by hitting the review button. ;)

Oh, and I would like to thank Anna (Annabel Fate Juliet Gaisras) for coming up with the title. She may not have reviewed, but I think I can get her too if I mention her, ;)

**PLEASE REVIEW :DDD  
><strong>


	4. Searching

**Tauria: **Another long chapter! Yay! Not quite as long as the last one, but it still breaks three thousand words . . . which I am happy for.

**Chiro: **-mutters- the rest of us aren't. And you aren't even happy.

**Tauria: **Hush Chiro. I know you don't like this chapter. In fact, you don't like the whole story. So hush.

**Chiro: **And I don't like the new idea you came up with one bit neither.

**Tauria: **I know Chiro, I know. Anyway, hopefully I will update more regularly over fall break . . . well . . . I may not. I'll explain why at the bottom!

**Disclaimer: **Tauria does not own SRMT, or anything else belonging to someone else.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

**No One's Point of View**

Once the monkeys had recovered, they had set about looking for Chiro. Slowly at first, thinking that Chiro was just looking for a cure to the illness they had come down with. They began to think that he too, had become ill, and was somewhere on Shuggazoom, unable to care for himself. But the found several clues that suggested he was still alive. They got the allies to search as well, and even some of the citizens joined in. Each day, they would set out, and one monkey and a team of allies would stay behind and patrol the city or stay in the Robot while the others looked.

They were slowly giving up hope that they would ever find him. It hit them all hard. Especially Antauri, who blamed himself, but was trying not to. It seemed impossible that Chiro would leave. It seemed impossible that he would put the monkeys through this. Everyone agreed that this was very out of character for Chiro. No one could figure out why he had left, though. Everyone who knew the legends blamed the old king. They thought he was behind it all. Others claimed it was Skeleton King. Still others thought he was dead. No one really agreed on what happened, just that it was unlike Chiro.

No one wanted to believe that one such as Chiro had gone missing. Everyone looked up to him. Even those who were supposed to be his superiors. He was the very opposite of that which he fought. Perhaps that is what made him such a good Chosen One.

Three months had passed since Chiro had been declared missing, and no one knew what to do anymore. It was as if Chiro had disappeared off the face of the planet. How everyone hoped he would be found . . .

* * *

><p><em>Three Months After Chiro Was Declared Missing<em>

**Antauri's Point of View**

We had been searching for Chiro for three months now. I was getting very worried. Chiro should have turned up by now, unless he wasn't on Shuggazoom. I sat down in my chair and held my head in my hands. How could he do this to us? I knew Chiro . . . or thought I did. He had to have a just cause for leaving. It can't be because of his Power Primate going missing. It has to be something other then that. Chiro had always been_ responsible. _He knew better then to leave just because his Power Primate was gone.

Of course, there are many things we do not know about Chiro . . . and it is those things that are giving me these doubts . . . these little uncertainties that maybe we over, or under, estimated Chiro. Or that perhaps, we never really knew Chiro at all. They are just little doubts, fueled by nothing more then the fact that I wish I knew my son better. I knew that he would never betray us, or Shuggazoom, out of his own free will . . . and if he did, something had to have caused it.

I felt that his disappearance was related to the fact that we had all fallen ill, yet he had not. I also suspected that it had something to do with the fact that his Power Primate had gone missing. I felt that all of those links led back to one source. The evil king.

I wondered what could have possessed him to leave like he did. What could the king had bribed him with to get him to leave. Us falling ill with Ortus Morbus may have done it, combined with his lack of Power Primate. I closed my eyes and thought back to the day that Otto had gotten sick. Chiro's steps had been slow, and he seemed to feel very guilty. He seemed lost in thought, and at times, his eyes would be distant, as if he was talking to someone telepathically.

I frowned. It had all been right under my nose, and I couldn't see it. I decided not to blame myself, although it was very much something I could have prevented. Blaming myself will not get my son back, and nor will it help our cause.

Not that we can search forever.

I sighed. Sooner or later, I was going to have call the searches off . . . I didn't want to. I wasn't ready for the fact that my son might be gone for good. I wasn't ready for the fact that one day, I may face my son in battle. It was hard enough with my brother. We have lost our second leader. I will have to step up to that place once more. I sighed heavily. I stood and headed to the door, each of my steps heavy and out of place.

* * *

><p><strong>Otto's Point of View<strong>

I searched everywhere for Chiro. I missed him. It was like having a little brother _and_ another big brother all in one. It was gonna be just like losing Mandarin again. I sighed. If only we hadn't gotten sick. Then maybe Chiro would still be here . . .

I heard Antauri and Gibson talking the other day, and they mentioned something about an evil king. I remembered hearing all those old legends about him. Antauri and Gibson seem to think we came down with Ortus Morbus. I remembered Gibson talking about that. I had never paid much attention to any of Gibson's lectures, but I remember thinking that this one sounded interesting. And it was. Even Gibson, no offense to him, couldn't make it boring! Even Sprx hadn't slept through that lecture!

Of course, that was when Mandarin was here, so Chiro had never gotten to hear it. I wonder if it would have helped him . . . I sighed softly. It was so depressing thinking about Chiro leaving. All the other monkeys depended on me to be their happy-go-lucky monkey. And I usually was.

But lately? Not so much.

Sprx has left punch lines wide open for me to fill, like I normally would. Gibson has given me plenty of opportunities to be confused, or come into his lab and annoy him. Nova has given me worried looks, and reasons to joke. Antauri is the only one who seems to understand. Mandarin leaving? Sure. I could get over that. I could joke and laugh about that. But Chiro? He was a little harder to get over his leaving. When Mandarin left, we had all been looking forward to the Chosen One coming. We had looked forward to ending the war.

This time, the Chosen One is gone, and we have no one to look forward to coming. The only hope we have is to find him and convince him to come back to us. The only problem is . . . finding him isn't going so well . . . I wonder where he could have gotten. I missed him so much, but I knew that we could only look for him for so long before the search had to be called off. I may not be Antauri, but I sense that time is coming soon.

"Monkey Team?" Antauri called. I frowned. That time was coming now, I feared. I wasn't ready to quit searching. I wanted to pretend I hadn't heard . . . pretend he hadn't called. I wanted to be out here, searching for my brother. Someone I very much needed in my life right now. I needed to see Chiro smiling as he laughed and joked with us . . . I needed to play video games with him . . . I needed to see that he was okay . . . I needed to assure him that we loved him, very much. But . . . I also wanted news. News that only Antauri could give. So . . . I turned and headed inside . . .

* * *

><p><strong>Sprx's Point of View<strong>

We had been searching for Chiro for months now. I missed the Kid. It was weird not seeing him at the breakfast table, laughing and joking like always. It was weird not hearing him shout out orders and make sure that everything was running smoothly despite the fact he should be getting what little rest he gets. It was weird not hearing him tell us what to do in training. It was weird not looking up and him being there. It was weird walking past his room at night and him not being in there. It was weird being sad, and his kind voice saying, "What's wrong Sprx?" It was weird not being able to go to him . . .

We had been able to count on him when I disappeared. He had helped us find Antauri, and had even pulled him back from the grave. He had helped us find Nova when she fell into the wormhole. Beyond that, he has done much more then just find us. He has risked his life again and again, over and over again to save ours. We all owe him our lives. He had led us through battles, and none of us had fallen. He had led us through prison escapes, and through the galaxies and back home again. Every time we had a problem, Chiro helped fix it.

The Kid was dependable, and he was smart. He knew what he was doing, and most of the time he acted more like an adult then a teenager. But he was still a _kid_, and he acted like it to. He loved the Sun Riders, and video games. He tried to get out of training and lectures. He was cocky. But at the same time, it was easy to forget he was still a child. After all, he was very responsible, and he planned things out. He gave orders like a born leader. He took on more responsibility then necessary sometimes, and he usually always owned up to things he had done. He was also much more powerful then most kids his age would be if they had powers. He was selfless, and he often risked his own life for the safety of other's lives.

I ached inside to know that he was gone, and that it most likely had to do with an evil king that had supposedly been imprisoned years ago. Decades ago even. I searched everywhere for any sign of Chiro, the evil king, Skeleton King, Mandarin, anything that could be important. I had found nothing. I knew sooner or later that Antauri was going to call us inside and call off the search . . . but I wasn't ready to let go just yet. We needed the Kid . . .

"Monkey Team?" Antauri called. Frowning, I turned to go. I was half tempted to stay out here and keep looking, but I also hoped for any kind of news. Good or bad at this point. I sighed, and I turned and headed inside, joining a sullen Otto. I patted his back.

* * *

><p><strong>Gibson<strong>**'s Point of View**

I searched for Chiro, with no regard for what got on me. I was even able to ignore all the bugs. Once Chiro was back, I would panic. But for now, these bugs were meaningless. I hated the fact they were crawling on me, but at this point in time I no longer cared. At first, I had been hesitant to look, because I was afraid of the bugs. I had been convinced Chiro would come back. When he hadn't, I eventually joined the others. Sprx had been very angry at me for not searching like the rest of them. He had given me the silent treatment for a whole week. When the week had been over, I was finally convinced that Chiro wasn't going to come back on his own. For three months we have been searching for Chiro. For three months we have been looking for any trace of our beloved leader.

And not just because he was the Chosen One, as some had liked to say in the past. Some of the citizens had gotten it into their heads that we only cared about Chiro because he was the Chosen One. We, or rather Chiro, had set them straight. Chiro was Antauri's son, the other's brother, and I wasn't sure what to call him. Sometimes he was my brother, and sometimes he was my nephew. We needed our leader back, because he was our family. We needed our leader back because we loved him. We needed our leader back because he was someone we could always count on. We needed our leader back because he was one of the most important people in our lives.

But we all knew that soon the search was going to be called off. We couldn't look forever. Shuggazoom needs defending. Chiro wouldn't want us out here looking for him all the time if it meant leaving the city. We weren't leaving the city defenseless, of course. There was always a team of allies, and one of us monkeys there. Today it was Antauri's turn.

"Monkey Team?" Antauri called. Oh monkey doodle. Here we go. He's going to call off the search . . .I sighed . . . and although I needed to search more, I wanted news from Antauri. News that only he could give . . . So, I joined a sullen Otto, and a depressed, but still attempting to joke and be sarcastic Sprx.

* * *

><p><strong>Nova's Point of View<strong>

I searched everywhere for Chiro. I missed him. It was weird not seeing bright blue eyes staring at me as I taught him a new move. It was weird not being able to hug him, or get hugs from him when I was scared, or he was scared, or we were both scared and trying to be strong and failing. I sighed. I needed him back. He was like my brother. I needed my brother back. I loved him. We all did. He was family. He needed to be back with us. He needed to be here with us, where we loved him and appreciated him and needed him.

He needed to be here . . . safe . . . and sound . . . Where we loved him, and he loved us. He needed to be here . . . We needed him here . . . I hoped it didn't have anything to do with that evil king! That would be horrible! I didn't like to think that the only reason we got better could be because Chiro joined with the dark side. But I like even less to think that he only joined because he thought he needed his Power Primate to fight with us. Chiro wasn't that selfish anyway.

I also didn't like thinking that he was gone. But it was hard not to. He had always played an important part in each of our lives, but we had never noticed. We had never noticed how important Chiro was to us sometimes. We had never noticed how important of a role he played, because we never paid attention. We took our time together for granted. Even in the midst of war, we forgot how easily a life could be taken. Whether to die or to be kidnapped or to run away. Any of those. It didn't matter. I regretted not telling him how much I loved him like a brother while he was here.

And now he was missing. He was gone. And the search would soon have to be called off. And that is what really hurt. I hated that we were going to have to call off the search for something so important. I was angry. I needed some time in the training room later. I sighed, and continued looking, needed something to keep me occupied.

"Monkey Team," I heard Antauri called. I sighed and joined the other monkeys. I took Sprx's hand, and he let my hand go. A little hurt at first, it was soon gone when he slid his arm around my waist. I leaned against him slightly as we walked. We all entered the Robot, trying to be strong together. We all knew it had hit Antauri the hardest when Chiro had gone missing.

* * *

><p><strong>No One's Point of View<strong>

One they were all inside, Antauri turned to them all. He was pained, and you could tell. "I am afraid that we will have to end the search for Chiro. But for one reason. Skeleton King has not attacked lately. He could be related to Chiro's mysterious disappearance. We will have to find out where Skeleton King is, and from there, we can find Chiro. Hopefully."

The monkeys nodded, glad for anything to do that might help Chiro. They needed their leader. He was their Chosen One. But he was more then that to them. He was . . . he was someone they loved very much. He was their loved one. They loved him, and he loved them. They needed him.

"Alright, Antauri. How do you want us to start?" Otto said.

Antauri smiled a little. "Let's catch up on training and repairs first. Each of us will do a training session, while the rest of us work on repairs. Then, we'll do a group session, and then all of us will finish our repairs. And as we are doing that, we can run the scanner to scan for Skeleton King, or the Citadel of Bone."

The monkeys nodded, and set to work.

* * *

><p><strong>Tauria: <strong>I know . . . crappy ending. Anyway, the reason I may not update is 1. Vacations. 2. Anna is leaving. Yup. That's right. She is going back to her mom's on Saturday. She has been living with me since January, so we've gotten really close in that time period. It was like having a twin sister, that wasn't really your sister. It's going to be really hard to say goodbye since we have gotten so close. So, there may or may not be updates over fall break. There most likely will be, since I write better when I'm depressed. If you wanna know why, you can PM me. Just because I don't feel like explaining right now. Anyway, I mean, today, I couldn't go to school because I had a panic attack over a lot going on. My dad remarried two weeks ago, and then Anna's leaving, plus I have anxiety and there are too many people at school . . . yeah . . . I'm having a bit of a rough time. But this is how I deal with it. Anyway, thanks if you read my little rant. If you want to know anything more or if I left anything out, PM me. I don't mind talking . . . In fact, I love to talk.

**Chiro: **Ooh! I have something to add!

**Tauria: **What?

**Chiro: **Tauria might be moving . . . she'll still be able to update and stuff, but she might be moving to a smaller town so it will be easier on her. Also, she'll be closer to Anna. Plus, she'll be able to make new friends, because as of this moment in time, she has no _close _friends in school. I'm done.

**Tauria: **I'm not sure what to say to that. Anyway, I may update again today . . . or I might update a different story or something. But anyway . . . thanks for reading my rant if you did :DD I love you guys! Please leave more of those wonderful reviews! They make me happy both inside and out! :DD


	5. Power Primate

**Tauria: **Heyy, what's up readers and reviewers? How are you? Alright. I'm back. I have my laptop back and everything, so hopefully there will be more updates! Yay! Okay. Anyways. Some weekends though, there won't be as much updates because ANNA WILL BE VISITING! Which she is due for another visit but I don't know when. :DD Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

**Chiro: **I didn't.

**Tauria: **I know.

**Disclaimer: **Tauria does not own SRMT. Obviously since the word disclaimer is on this page.

**Chapter Four**

_No-one's Point of View_

**_Super Robot_**

The monkeys had not given up on finding Chiro. Although they no longer held a twenty-four hour search party, they still looked for him. Antauri constantly searched with his mind, Gibson always had a radar up for him, Sprx would take pilot trips to see if he could spot him from the air, Otto pretended to go outside and play when he was really looking for Chiro, Nova often went shopping to look for him. The allies also kept their eyes out for him. Mobias Quint constantly was in the sky not only watching for Skeleton King but Chiro as well. But it seemed as if both had disappeared right of the map. Antauri couldn't help but feel that they were connected somehow.

Once, there was a false alarm, where Gibson thought he had found him at the Alchemist's Lab. But closer scan revealed no one there.

**_Alchemist's Lab_**

Chiro found that when he was undercover it was best to move slowly. For some reason that kept him off Gibson's radar. He would have to alert him of that when he came back to the team. He was rummaging through the lab, basically tearing the place up trying to find what he was looking for. Finally . . . he did find it. He smiled. He walked out of the lab, feeling triumphant.

_Chiro's Point of View_

I stepped across the stone path carefully, as I made my way back to where I was supposed to go. I had just gotten back from a very important mission. I had been working for the king for three months now. I had fought alongside Skeleton King and Mandarin. I had led Formless. It was far different from what I had planned on doing during this war. I had hoped to actually be fighting _against _Skeleton King throughout this one. I sighed. I looked at the cold, gray stone beneath my feet. Today was the day that I would receive my Power Primate back. But not without a price. One I wasn't sure I was willing to pay. But I needed it if I was ever to escape . . . I sighed mentally. I stepped across the stone, and over to the edge of the pit where the king lived. I knelt.

"Master," I said respectfully. "I have finally achieved the means to restore you to your former power." I hated having to call him master. He was not my master. He was no one's master. I hated having to bow to him. I hated having to even work for him. But if I didn't then all of the monkey team would have died. And I would have been all alone. Again. I didn't want to be left alone. Left to go somewhere I was unwanted . . . left to go somewhere people wouldn't ever care for me. Even if I was the Chosen One. If the Monkey Team died I would lose my only family. Maybe I was being selfish. But I felt like I had no choice. And that is exactly what the evil king wanted. All along.

I saw his Cheshire Cat smile in the darkness. For some reason, although the rest of him was dirty and unkempt, his teeth were perfectly white and sharp. It had to make me wonder what he was eating down there. I almost shuddered just thinking about it. I couldn't stand looking at those sharp teeth seemingly hanging there without a body and thinking about how soon, very soon, and thanks to me, he was going to be walking around here on the land. He would no longer be safely imprisoned in that pit. And it would be all my fault. I held back a shiver and stood. "Well done, Chiro," he said in his cold voice.

I forced a small smile and thanked him for his praise. "Thank you, your highness. Alright, master, I must read an incantation to restore your form. It will take much concentration."

He nodded. Or at least I assumed he did considering his teeth bobbed up and down like a nod. I took a deep breath and began to read off the incantation that I had found buried deep in the Alchemist's lab, hidden back far beyond the rooms the Monkey Team and I had seen. It was deep within what I assumed was a storage room. I hated myself for even having to look for the stupid cure. I knew that if I didn't, the Monkey Team would be doomed. But I also knew that getting my Power Primate back was the only way that Antauri would be able to find me. I had to do this. But at the same time I was betraying the monkey team even more. They had taken me in, and trained me to the best of my ability. Here I was turning around and using the skills that they had trained me with to work with the very people I had sworn to protect Shuggazoom from.

I finished reading the incantation, and I heard the sound of rock and flesh meeting one another. For a few moments, I hoped he had fallen over dead, but then I heard the king's strained grunts and groans as he climbed up the wall. I tried not to show my disappointment. I did as was expected and helped him up the last bit. He stood before me, and I beheld the king restored. He had dark black hair and crystal blue eyes, that had no pupils. I assumed that he had been restored to the form he had had before he had become a hideous and disgusting creature. He was pale and he had abnormally sharp teeth.

"Thank you, Chiro. You have now earned your Power Primate." And he placed his palm on my forehead. I closed my eyes, remembering how it felt to have the Power Primate within me. I smiled and let the power wash over me again . . .

* * *

><p><em>Antauri's Point of View<em>

I was deep in meditation, still looking for Chiro, when I felt something shift within the Power Primate. I wasn't sure what it was, but I had a feeling it was Chiro. I looked deeper into this change, and saw that a massive amount of the Power Primate was being transferred. And it had been tainted by dark magic I had only read about. Dark magic Skeleton King could only dream of possessing. I had always known that this evil would return but I never dreamed it would be in my lifetime.

I knew, without any doubts, that the corrupted Power Primate was being transferred to none other then Chiro. I also knew that the Power Primate being transferred could not possibly belong to him. But I knew that I could not stop it from happening. Only two possibilities would remain. I hoped that neither would ever happen. For we need him. He is our leader, our family, and our Chosen One. We are all he has as well. He would either die, or join them in their evil . . .

* * *

><p><strong>Tauria: <strong>Well, it isn't as long as the other chapters, but I will make up for it in the next chapter. This one was just kind of a build up to the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review!


	6. Chiro's Change

**Tauria: **Well . . . I was gone for quite a while. And I apologize for that. I have been stuck on _Losing _for a few months now. I knew what was going to happen, but I had no idea how to make it happen. This was just something I threw together . . . Oh, and updates are going to slow down a LOT. I'll explain why at the end of the chapter.

**Chiro: **Tauria does not own SRMT, or anything else, belonging to someone else.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

___"Thank you, Chiro. You have now earned your Power Primate." And he placed his palm on my forehead. I closed my eyes, remembering how it felt to have the Power Primate within me. I smiled and let the power wash over me again . . ._

I saw green . . . but not an envy green. It was the wonderful green of the Power Primate . . . a green that reminded me of life, health and energy . . . I thought the evil king was a fool. He gave me back the one thing I needed to defeat him . . . the one thing I needed to stop him from his twisted plan. As the Power Primate rushed over my body, it felt like it did the very first time . . . or at least it did at first. It started out as a cool, calming wave of happiness, of pure goodness . . . but then, it became a painful, hot sea of pure evil, of wickedness I can not begin to describe. Then, it turned to a bright, wicked red of hatred. I knew then, that because I had opened myself so willingly to it . . . that because I had welcomed it into my body, that now, now it was going to take over my very soul . . .

I fought for the little bit of control that I needed. The sliver of control that I would need to uncorrupt the Power Primate and free myself from his dark influence. As I did this, my body became limp as it took control over me . . . my Hyper Mode changed . . . the white became black . . . and the orange became a dark purple. My skin became paler. It invaded my mind, shoving aside easily the one part of my mind that still resisted. I opened my eyes, and wondered why in the world I had tried to resist this before. I could clearly feel the power rushing through my veins . . . and I liked it.

"Hello, Master," I said, my voice slightly raspy. I stood, legs a little wobbly, but nothing I couldn't handle. I felt a surge of what most would call cockiness, but I call confidence.

"Welcome, Chiro," he smiled, sharp teeth almost causing me to shudder. I lost just a teensy bit of the mass amount of confidence I had gained.

Skeleton King appeared like a demon from the shadows, and would have startled me had I not had expected it. He was like a rat. Always ready to appear. "Master . . ." he bowed. "If I may ask, what will become of him now?"

"Now, Lord Skeleton King, he is your equal. You will fight at each others sides . . . and I trust that neither of you will knowingly let the other fall in battle." The king was evil, but he knew what he was doing. He knew better then to trust us alone together. We would tear each other to shreds.

"Never your highness," I said with ease. Lying had not come easy to my weaker self. But I was no longer that weak.

"The thought would never cross my mind, my lord," Skeleton King smiled. Hah! Of course it wouldn't. It would always be lurking in the backs of both our minds.

We shared a glance when the king turned his back and began giving us instructions. Both of us knew that we had lied. This would be fun . . .

* * *

><p><strong>Antauri's Point of View<strong>

I felt the Power Primate consume Chiro completely. I felt as at first my son tried to resist, and then as the Power Primate overpowered him . . . I felt the one small part of him be shoved aside, so that I could no longer sense it. I pulled out of meditation. This was to much for me . . . I would have to tell the others, and we would have to warn Shuggazoom . . . I dreaded telling the others. I dreaded seeing the shock and horror on each of their faces. But I stood, and walked down to the Command Center.

"Team," I said gravely, and they all turned to look at me. I wanted to clear my throat before giving them this horrible news, but I could not. "I have grave news concerning Chiro. I am afraid he's-"

Otto cut me off with a loud gasp. "Dead! Oh, please don't say he's dead!"

I smiled slightly at my younger brother. "No Otto. He is not dead. But . . . the evil king took his Power Primate and used it to corrupt him. Chiro now willingly fights alongside the evil king, as well as Skeleton King. There _is_ however, one good thing. Chiro still retains at least an ounce of goodness. I don't know how powerful this ounce is, nor how much it would take for Chiro to join us once more."

They all frowned and Sprx said, "Well, this is just _great_. Our third leader is gone and joined the evil side! It's like it's a pattern! The Alchemist joined unwillingly because of demonic corruption, Mandarin was always slightly crazy and he ended up joining Skeleton King, and then Chiro's Power Primate is corrupted so he unwillingly joined!"

"Sprx, the difference is that we can still save Chiro. And perhaps we can save the others too. But for now let's focus on Chiro," I said softly. "Chiro is not completely lost to us yet."

Sprx gave a short nod.

* * *

><p><strong>Four Months Later<strong>

**_No One's Point of View_**

Sprx had dubbed the evil king (who's name had been lost centuries ago) Zombie King, since there was already a Skeleton King, plus, he wasn't a skeleton. The others had quickly taken to calling him that, as it had a way of making them feel less scared of something that had a semi-funny name, in comparison to the things they all knew about him.

Although four months had passed, neither hide nor hair had been seen of Chiro, Skeleton King, or Zombie King since Antauri had sensed Chiro's change. The scanners were always running, and at times it seemed even the Robot was watching for them. Ever since Mandarin had invaded their Robot, they knew that the Robot was protective over it's inhabitants, specifically Chiro. It did not surprise any that he and Antauri were their two most alert.

Sometimes they wished Chiro would attack the city, just so they could see him once more. But when they truly thought of what he could do in this evil form, they no longer wished it to be so. They did not realize how close they were to seeing their leader once again . . .

* * *

><p><strong>Chiro's Point of View<strong>

I raced towards the city, having finally been given leave to attack. Master had wanted to make sure that the filthy primates would not know that we were attacking. Mandarin (the clone) was going to lead a troop of Formless through the southern end of the city, Skeleton King was going to take a troop through the eastern side, Master chose the northern part, and then a normal troop was going through the western side. I was going straight for the center, an hour ahead of the others, to distract the monkeys, and capture them if I could. If not, a simple distraction would work, long enough for Mandarin (the actual version) to quickly sneak in and disable the Robot.

Without the Robot the monkeys would be unable to fight the horde of Formless that would be fast approaching the city. I grinned as I dashed towards the Robot. I knew exactly how I was going to do this. It would take some changing of my Hyper Mode, and good acting, but it was the swiftest way to distract them and lessen their resolve. I smirked. I approached the gleaming silver Robot that stood in the center of the city. Ignoring the protests in the back of my mind, my Hyper Mode changed to the way it had been when I had worked with them, and I approached the Robot.

The brambles in the Savage Lands had cut my arms and legs, scratches were on my face. My hair was mussed and I was purposely missing a shoe. I looked weak and helpless with my paler skin. It helped that I was tired and had humongous dark circles under my eyes. I strode in, and went into the Command Center. "Monkeys," I croaked weakly.

"Chiro?"

* * *

><p><strong>Antauri's Point of View<strong>

Surely it could not be. I had clearly sensed him turn evil, but he looked like the old Chiro . . . and my senses told me he had good intentions. I quickly noticed he was hurt. Recovering from my shock faster then the others I cried, "Get Chiro to Med Bay!" I was extremely happy, but startlingly suspicious.

At once the monkeys obeyed my command and they took him to Med Bay. I stayed behind only a few moments, to check the scanner one more time, when the screen went black and a big red word flashed across the screen, **DECIEVER_,_** was what it continuously blinked for the few seconds I watched, raising my suspicions even more. Then, I hurried into the Med Bay, as I puzzled through what it could mean. As soon as Chiro was better, I was going to question him.

* * *

><p><strong>Tauria: <strong>I am not exactly very proud of this chapter. It is not my best work, and if I had put more thought in it I probably could have done better. But. Anyway. I have a lot of updating ahead of me . . . Anyway, the reason updating is going to slow down:

My laptop broke. My uncle thinks he can fix it, but for now, it is broke. I seem to have an unending amount of computer problems. My mom's computer is only available to me until my mom goes to bed. However, I will be home every day, most of the day because I am home bound, because of bad asthma problems and a crappy nurse (PM me if you really wanna know :D I don't bite lolz)

**Chiro: **Well . . . by the way, why am I acting so OOC?

**Tauria: **You are acting OOC, because you are. Because of the corrupted Power Primate, it changed you into an arrogant, cocky jerk. Not to mention the fact that your evil.

**Chiro: **-_-

**Tauria: **^.^ Anyway, I know that this chapter isn't very long, but I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review!


	7. Plans

**Tauria: **Hiya! Sorry it's been so long, I've just had a really bad case of Writer's Block!

**Chiro: **Luckily it's gone now!

**Tauria: **Yeah!

**Chiro: **Tauria does not own SRMT

**Chapter Six**

**Antauri's Point of View**

As we tended to Chiro in Med bay, I entered their minds. _'I don't trust him . . . there is no way he could have resisted the corrupt Power Primate on his own. Use some anesthetic on him . . . we must determine whether or not he's lying before we trust him.' _

They all gave imperctible nods, and I left their minds. Once Chiro was asleep, we heard a small thump behind us. We immediately activated our transformers, and were prepared to fight. An orange monkey held up his hands. "I know that we are by no means on the same side, but I hate both of those kings just as much as you do. Skeleton King replaced me with clones, and that other king should have died a long time ago. Once upon a time, we were brothers, and sister. Surely you can trust me long enough to help Chiro . . . and the rest of Shuggazoom?"

"What do you get out of this?" Sprx snarled.

"I get to watch at least one of those kings fall . . . and my freedom will be returned to me."

"How do we know we can trust you?"

Mandarin looked at us for a moment. "1. I will swear it on the Power Primate. 2. Antauri should be able to sense whether or not I have evil intention."

They turned to me.

"He does not seem to be lying to us . . . but the swear must be done anyway."

Mandarin nodded, and we grasped forearms. I had never before initiated the swear before, but I knew how it worked.

"By the Power Primate in me, I bind you to the Power Primate and truth of your words that you will not turn against us, and help us with whatever plan we initiate to take down the two kings that wish to rule."

"By the Power Primate in me, I accept your binding, and will work to the best of my ability to help with whatever it is we do to stop them . . . I will remain loyal until the our plan is successful and at least one of them is dead."

A green aura surrounded us both for a few moments, but then it faded away and we let go.

"So what do you know about their plans?" Gibson asked.

"They have decided to attack the city. Chiro was supposed to distract you as I came to disable the Robot. An army led by my clone will come from the south end of the city, Skeleton King will be coming from the eastern part, an army without a leader will be coming from the western end, and an army led by the main king will be coming in from the northern end of the city."

"So how do we stop that many armies at once?" Otto asked.

". . . I don't think we can without the boy . . ." Mandarin said.

"How do we get the kid back!"

"The Power Primate should be a way to cure him . . . right?" I asked.

"It should . . ." Mandarin said. "But it may not. His Power Primate may have to be removed again and then uncorrupted . . . or that may not even be his Power Primate. The king could have used some of the corrupted Power Primate left over in the Varon Temple . . . I don't know."

"We need to find out though," Sprx growled.

"I know," I said. "But I don't know of anyone who would know how to tell. I most certainly can't . . ."

"Yes you can Antauri!" Mandarin growled.

"How do you know?" I demanded.

"Because. Aside from Chiro, you are the most powerful user of the Power Primate. Especially since the Varons are history!"

"But what about you! You were always boasting about how much better at using it then I was!"

"Since I became a fool and joined the Skeleton King, my Power Primate decreased in strength. The Power Primate may be corrupted, but it is still good in nature. Turning it evil makes it shrink in power, and though the user can still call upon it, the attacks are never what they once were."

I nodded. I remembered learning this in school . . . I don't know how I could have forgotten it.

"However, that will have to wait until later . . . for now, we need to either flee, or witness the might of the oncoming armies."

"I'll get the Robot started . . ." Otto said.

"No. The Robot will be to easy to track. We need something smaller . . ."

"What about that shuttle-thing you were working on earlier," Sprx asked.

"That'll work! It should seat all of us!"

Otto led us to the shuttle Sprx had been talking about. We went inside, where there were seats facing each other, as well as a drivers seat. There was a door leading to a smaller version of the med center, and there were three small rooms with beds.

"Amazing . . . how long have you been working on this?" Gibson asked.

"A month or so now . . . it's done, but I've been working on some outside modifications."

"Amazing," Gibson repeated.

"So, where we headed?"

Mandarin looked at me. "What place do you know that is really strong in the Power Primate besides Koraladol?"

"Hm . . . well Silphirra is too crowded . . . well . . . how about . . . Galia?"

Gibson tilted his head sideways. "I've never heard of Galia before . . ."

"It's virtually uninhabited, or at least it was the last time I was there. We would go there for training sometimes."

"What're the coordinates?" Otto asked.

I told him, and he started the ship.

"I hate leaving Shuggazoom like this," Gibson said.

"I know . . . I feel like we're cowards . . ." Nova said softly.

"We're doing what has to be done," Sprx put his arm around Nova and gently punched Gibson in the shoulder, who turned and gave him a 'glare', that we all knew wasn't real.

I could only hope we were doing the right thing.

* * *

><p><strong>Tauria: <strong>Hopefully it won't take me another month to post the next chapter!

**Chiro: **Yeah . . . we'll see what happens with that.

**Tauria: **-glares-

**Antauri: ** Anyway, for those of you that are interested, since some of her stories are almost over, Tauria has put up descriptions of her future stories. However, she wants to do one more story, and couldn't decide which one she wants to do. So she narrowed it down to three choices, and would like to know which one you want to see! So, please go vote!

**Chiro: **But leave a review first please!


	8. Stranded

**Tauria: **I'm not a big fan of this chapter... I had a bit of writer's block while writing this, so it's not my best work... But it will suffice.

**Chiro: **You seem to be getting writer's block a lot...

**Tauria: **That's because all my brain wants to do is work on my new stories, and not finish these. Plus, there are certain parts of this story that I really wanna get to xD

**Chiro: **Ah... Well, Tauria does not own SRMT.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

I gazed out the window as the shuttle headed towards Galia. Stars shone brightly against the black backdrop of space, planets breaking the scenery every so often. Eventually, the planet of Galia came into view. It did not look to be inhabited, but things could have changed since I last visited the planet. It would be hard to tell from space. Sprx took the ship in for landing, and we exited. He had landed near the only temple on the planet's surface.

"If Galia is uninhabited, how come there is a temple on the surface?" Otto asked.

"Galia was not always uninhabited. Once upon a time, it was a center of knowledge. Scientists, mathematicians, monks, students, and others all would gather here. However, something happened - no one knows exactly what - but for some reason, all of the temples disappeared ... everything was gone. Only this one remained. People began to talk, and soon rumor was spread that the place was cursed. Even people who don't believe in curses avoid it, for there is no denying something strange happened here." I explained, remembering the legends we had learned on Koralodol. Many of the students and masters would pour over books, trying to find what could have actually happened, but no one had ever found anything. Mandarin and I had spent many sleepless nights trying to uncover the mysteries of Galia when we visited the planet, but to no avail.

"Which one do _you _believe?" Sprx asked me.

I shrugged. "I am not sure what to believe. It depends on which account you read which one you believe."

"Oh. Well, what do we do about Chiro? We can't leave him in the shuttle in case he wakes up... he might use it to escape and leave us stranded!"

"We'll take him inside the temple. If I remember correctly, there is a medical center within it's halls..."

Mandarin nodded. "And if not, it was designed for comfort, considering how many scholars and monks actually _lived _here."

We carried Chiro within the temple, and lay him on one of the medical tables within the center. I sat on another and began to meditate, focusing solely on Chiro's Power Primate energy. However, the closer I got to finding the source of the evil, the more his Power Primate fought against me. Finally, I gave up on this endeavor. Instead, I attempted to see if this truly was Chiro's Power Primate, or if the Zombie King had just put some corrupted Power Primate within him. Still, it yielded no answers. I exited my meditation.

"I cannot do this alone. His Power Primate keeps fighting me. It will give me no answers to what I seek."

The others frowned. This was not going at all the way we needed it to.

Mandarin looked over at me. "Come on. Let's see if there is anything in the temple that could help us while we wait for you to regain some strength. Then, you and I will try to find then answers together."

"Sounds like a plan," Gibson said, and we all headed in different directions to see if the temple would yield any answers.

* * *

><p><strong>No One's Point of View<strong>

As the team was searching through the temple, Chiro awoke. He immediately bolted upright after making sure that there was no one else within the room. Hearing Mandarin's voice, he scowled. _'Stupid orange creep betrayed us! ...I have to get out of here...To report to Master...' _He stood up and headed outside. Spotting the shuttle, he walked over to it and smirked.

_'Not only will I get out of here, but those stupid simians will be stranded!' _However, when he went to drive it, it turned out that Otto had made it with the need for keys, specifically so Chiro could not escape. Growling, he went back inside, where the team was waiting for him.

"Good morning Chiro," Antauri smiled.

Chiro scowled, eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"

Antauri raised an eyebrow. "Is it not obvious? I want the old Chiro back."

"The old Chiro is gone! This is me now... and there is nothing you can do to change that," he sneered.

"That isn't and never will be true. There is always a hope when the Power Primate is concerned."

Chiro growled. "Chiro Spearo!"

Dodging, Antauri raised an eyebrow. "Do you really hope to fight us, Chiro? We are your family... We trained you in all you know."

"Yeah, well I'm the Chosen One. I'm much more powerful then any of you could ever dream of being," Chiro said.

"Not in this state. As long as you remain on the side of evil, your power is equal to ours."

Chiro scowled, and shouted, "Monkey Fu!"

The monkey team dodged.

"I am sorry for this, my son." Antauri entered his mind, but was thrown out, as Chiro smirked.

"My Power Primate has been strengthened by my master..." He created a monkey fu that knocked out all of the monkeys. He took the keys from Otto, and left.

* * *

><p>The monkeys came too a few hours later.<p>

"Well, that plan backfired," Sprx groaned as he rubbed his head.

"Yeah... So what now Antauri?" Otto asked.

"Well, we need to find a way to get home..."

"Hmm... well, maybe if we look around we can find some stuff to build a ship with," Otto suggested.

"Well, let's start searching then."

* * *

><p><strong>Tauria: <strong>Well, hopefully my next chapter will be better! xD

**Chiro: **How long until I'm good again? and I can't believe you made strand the monkey team on Galia!

**Tauria: **...I needed them out of the way for a little bit... and I'm not telling you when!

**Chiro: **-_-

**Antauri: **Patience Chiro...

**Chiro: **You're just as impatient as me in _Heart of a Machine!_

**Antauri: **...and it doesn't work for me. So learn from my mistake and have some patience.

**Chiro: **...please leave a review.


	9. Shuggazoom?

**Tauria: **Hiya, everybody. I know I've been gone for a while, but... Well, I've been busy, and I had no idea what to do, and then my laptop battery broke... It's great. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own SRMTHFG.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight<strong>

It took three months for the team to gather enough supplies for a ship, as well as enough to keep them alive for the time being. It did not help that strange creatures thieved away their supplies during the night. It was a gloomy day upon Galia, but the team was happy, for now they could go home. Clouds covered the sky, and rain had just begun to fall. Gibson, who had taken some weather science in school, declared that if they left then they would miss the thunderstorms headed their way. They had all packed quickly, for none of them wanted to stay on Galia longer then was necessary.

They all clambered into the ship. It wasn't Otto and Gibson's best work, but it was suitable. Antauri and Mandarin hoped that they hadn't disturbed any other worldly forces that might have been the reason for Galia's abandonment were angry with them for taking precious metals from the temples and houses found all over Galia.

The engine had been the hardest part to make, but Otto had been able to construct an old engine using some of the engine parts found in broken down ships over Galia. The few parts that weren't rusted to being virtually useless were the parts he took and used to make it. It wasn't one of the best models, nor would it be very fast. But, it was fuel efficient and would get them to Shuggazoom within a few days.

Antauri was greatly worried about the damage that had been done to Shuggazoom in their absence. The others assured him that the allies had to be doing their best to keep the citizens safe. Antauri agreed that they were right, but still... He had a bad feeling about what they were going to arrive too.

The trip home was long to all but Antauri. Sprx switched from flirting with Nova, to annoying Gibson, to questioning Antauri, to pestering with Mandarin, to shining his magnets, to joking with Otto. After a while, they turned off auto-pilot and made Sprx drive. This made him shut up for a bit, but now he was talking yet again.

"Do you think we'll be there soon? Why does this ship have to go so darn slow!" Sprx complained.

"It goes slower because if it doesn't it'll break. And it would take much longer to get there if we had to fly though space. We'd run out of jet fuel to quickly and then we'd be stranded in the middle of space until we finally lost it and just opened our masks and let the depths of space cause us death," Mandarin said dryly, hoping that would shut the red monkey up.

"Well, aren't you Mister Cheery?" Sprx retorted.

Nova sighed. "Both of you shut up. There's no training room in here so I might decide to take my impatience out on the two of you."

"Aw, you know I love it when you get angry," Sprx flirted with the yellow monkey. When he was bored or impatient it was always one of his favorite past times to annoy his fellow teammates. However, his teammates did not enjoy being annoyed, as he had found out. That, however, did not stop him.

"Are you determined to push everyone's buttons?" Gibson growled.

"What do you mean Gibson? Robot monkeys don't _have_ buttons!" Otto smiled.

"Yeah, what he said," Sprx laughed.

Nova growled, ready to fulfill her threat.

"Arguing will get us all nowhere, as well as useless violence," Antauri spoke for the first time during the journey. "We need to work together and _not _kill each other before we get home. We may need all the strength we have to get Chiro back on our side."

The others nodded, seeing his point. It was silent again for a while.

"Hey, do you guys think if I just sped this up a bit-"

"SHUT UP SPRX!"

"Okay, okay."

* * *

><p>They reached Shuggazoom within a few days, and landed in the Blasted Lands. None of them wanted to risk getting seen by the Formless, Undead, Chiro, or Skeleton King. They began the long trek back, hoping they wouldn't run into any scouts. They did encounter some trouble, but it was nothing they couldn't handle. Soon enough, they were safe and unharmed in the Alchemist's Lab. It was Antauri who had made the decision to head there. They needed a bit of them to recoup from the long journey, and absence, and where better to go then the place they were created.<p>

When they entered, the encountered three citizens of Shuggazoom. None of the monkeys could place their names at the moment, but they knew them.

"What's going on? Are you all alright?" Nova asked, hoping the translator still worked.

Luckily for them, it did.

"Monkey Team! We're so glad your back. Chiro said you'd left us all, but we knew you wouldn't have done that. Most of us figured that you had gone to get something to help, and turn Chiro back to good."

"We did, and we think we know how, but we need to get back to Shuggazoom. Tell me... What is it like there now?"

They exchanged glances. "Well..." the eldest, a woman of approximately thirty. "It would be wisest if you went there yourself."

The monkeys were confused, but nodded. "Very well. We'll get you when it's all over... We may send people back as well," Nova smiled.

They nodded.

The monkeys left, heading towards Shuggazoom. They took a roundabout way, not wanting to encounter unpleasant foes on the road to Shuggazoom. However, once they arrived, they were all speechless. The road to Shuggazoom over the water was gone. Completely obliterated. And as for the city... There _was _no city.

* * *

><p><strong>Tauria: <strong>Suprise! Anyway, I do hope that updates will be faster now... I make no promises with this, because well... I'm not real good at keeping my promises when it comes to updating. The only promise I make is that there will eventually be an update! XD

**Chiro: **Don't you have an annoucement or something?

**Tauria: **Yes, yes I do. I am going to be starting a new line of stories soon. _Losing_ will be in that line, because it's turning out longer then I expected. I only expected maybe about ten chapters with the way I was going recently, but apparently that's not going to happen. Which I'm happy about. Anyway, hopefully there will be more surprising plot twists coming your way! See you next update ;)

**Chiro: **Please drop a review!


	10. Explanations, Exploration, Eavesdropping

**Tauria: **Well, here's the next chapter. It's not all that great, but it's just a filler until next chapter.

**Chiro: **Anyway, as for the King's name... Tauria just randomly came up with it.

**Tauria: **Yeah... I got tired of calling him 'the king'.

**Chiro: **-shakes head- Tauria doesn't own SRMT.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine<strong>

Shuggazoom stood in ruins before the six monkeys. Not one tower still stood... that they could see. They stood there for thirty minutes, in shock. Finally, one of them spoke.

"Whoa... What happened?" Sprx's eyes were wide. It had taken him a bit, but he had found his voice. "What did that stupid king do to Shuggazoom?"

"I don't know. I knew of no plans to do this..." Mandarin spoke softly, obviously just as disturbed by the destruction as the others.

"Whatever happened, we won't find out standing here," Antauri said decidedly. "We need to fly to the ruins and check it out. Maybe there are survivors still living within the ruins."

"We shouldn't all go," Nova spoke up. "Some of us need to stay and go talk to the citizens at the Alchemist's lab. They'll know something."

Antauri nodded. "Alright. Otto and Sprx, you two go with Nova. Mandarin and Gibson will come with me to the ruins."

They nodded, and split ways.

* * *

><p>Nova, Sprx, and Otto headed towards the lab once more. Upon reaching it, they met the citizens again.<p>

"Have you seen the city?" one of them asked.

"Yes..." Nova nodded. "What happened?"

"The King... He calls himself King Julianos now. No one knows why... It might have been his old name, or he might like the ring of it, I don't know. Anyway, he took over Shuggazoom, but no one was cooperating with anything he said, thanks to the allies. So, he captured every citizen and made them watch as their home was obliterated. The only building standing is a prison structure, guarded by the Mandarin clone and several undead... Sometimes Chiro helps as well, but most of the time, he's running errands for their highness's."

Nova nodded. "Is there anything else in the ruins?"

"There are rumors of a base of Freedom Fighters, and sometimes there are reports that it's been infested, but beyond that, I don't think so."

"Thank you very much. Where are the kings based now?"

"Skeleton Kings fortress... a crude city has been constructed."

"How were you able to escape?"

"As soon as you left the city, the three of us hid in a safe spot that Johnny found. There were several close calls, but we made it out alright. And then we headed here... We weren't sure were else to go. We've been waiting for you ever since."

Nova nodded. "Thank you for your help. We'll report to Antauri, and then figure out what to do next."

Sprx turned on his communicator. "Hey, Antauri?"

_"Yes Sprx?"_

"We just talked to the citizens..." He explained what they had found out.

_"Thanks."_

"No problem, Antauri."

_"You should investigate the city... And don't do anything rash, no matter what, got it? Just a quick observation, and then go back to the lab. We'll meet you there."_

"Yes sir." They hung up, and Sprx let Nova know what Antauri had said.

"Alright, you heard him. Let's head on over to where the town is located."

"Good luck!" The citizens called.

They nodded and left.

* * *

><p>Antauri, Mandarin, and Gibson headed into the ruins of Shuggazoom City. They hid behind a giant rock to avoid being seen by the patrol undead.<p>

"This place is crawling with those things," Antauri whispered.

"How are we going to get anything done, then?" Gibson asked.

"We'll have to do the best we can with what we can get to, I suppose..." Mandarin said.

Not one of them liked the look of this place.

"Let's go." they headed deeper in, until Antauri's communicator alerted him. They hid, and Antauri answered. They spoke for a moment before Antauri looked at the others and told them what Sprx had said.

"We need to figure out who is in the prison... but I bet the freedom fighters know. If it's true that there here, at any rate," Mandarin said quietly.

Gibson nodded. "Depending on who it is, we may have to do a jail break..."

"A jail break would be futile," a voice said. They turned. Standing there was none other then Prometheus 5. "We've tried it numerous times... It's how we lose the most people." Then he frowned at Mandarin. "What's he doing here?"

"Don't worry about it. Is there a Freedom Fighter headquarters?"

"There is."

"Then we'll talk there."

Prometheus nodded. He led them there.

* * *

><p>Chiro walked through the halls of the fortress with ease. He reached a room and opened a small trapdoor in the ceiling. Crawling into it, he closed the door and crawled as quietly as possible until he reached the throne room. Then, he sat and listened.<p>

"The Monkey Team is back, with that traitor Mandarin," Skeleton King reported. "Do you think the boy will betray us as well?"

"No. He is too tightly under my control for that to happen. What are they doing now?"

"I do not know. After they landed their energy signals were hidden from me. This has never happened before."

"Perhaps your powers are faulty..."

"Or someone is blocking them. But whom?"

"I do not know. But I do hope it is your powers... Now, leave me."

"Yes... my lord." Skeleton King left.

King Julianos leaned back in his throne. "Show me the Monkey Team." he commanded the air.

Water droplets in the air formed a mirror-like oval, and showed blackness.

"Blast it!" he growled. "I know they are not dead... So who is it that is hiding them from me..."

Chiro, who had heard all he needed, left. The king continued muttering to himself.

* * *

><p><strong>Tauria: <strong>And there you have it! This isn't my best work, 'cause I'm not really feeling good... My allergies are acting up really bad. But I updated xD

**Chiro: **That last scene has me confused...

**Tauria: **-grins like the Cheshire Cat-

**Chiro: **...oh, great.

**Antauri: **Please leave a review!


	11. Discussions and Captured

**Tauria: **I know this chapter is a lot shorter then some of my others on this story so far, but I promise I'll try to make them longer. I forgot what I was going to do next after last chapter, so it's a bit off my usual...

**Chiro: **She also had a headache while typing this, and didn't want to extend her brain to far.

**Tauria: **Yeah... that too.

**Chiro: **I'm just waiting for when I turn good again! -glares at Tauria-

**Tauria: -**Cheshire Cat smile-

**Otto: **Tauria doesn't own SRMT!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten<strong>

Once upon a time, Shuggazoom was one of the last stronghold's of peace this side of the Universe. Crimes within the city from the actual citizens were rare, and they never warred among themselves... and only being one small city, this was easy to do. They were peaceful. Sure, Skeleton King attacked them every now and again, but they always had the Hyper Force to protect them.

However... today, the Hyper Force was gone. They had left, presumably to help Chiro find his way back to the good side, or to get rid of the King who had called himself King Julianos. However, Chiro had returned... the monkeys did not.

The citizens had lost all hope of rescue, especially after Chiro began working side-by-side with King Julianos.

A darkness had descended over Shuggazoom, and they had lost all hope of seeing the sun again.

* * *

><p>Prometheus led Antauri, Mandarin, and Gibson through the halls of the Freedom Fighter base.<p>

"It isn't much, but we've made do," the purple robot explained. "Johnny and Suupa were able to make a computer with radar and other capabilities... Nee-Kee-Ta and Aurora created a good enough training room... Mobius and some of the other pilots were able to create some good ships... I was able to help out in the construction of weapons. We took what we could from the Super Robot before we hid it. It was complicated business, but we managed it alright."

The base had been built in the tunnels that lay just beneath the surface of Shuggazoom. Once they had been a valuable resource for the Secret Circle, a group of people who worshiped the Skeleton King. Now the Freedom Fighters were using them to the full advantage.

"Whatever works," Mandarin shrugged.

"How many of the fighters do you still have with you?" Antauri asked.

"Right now? There's me. Everyone else was caught at one point or another. It's just me, and you here now."

Antauri frowned. "This will be more complicated then I thought..."

"What is a brief summary of the situation Shuggazoom is in right now?" Gibson asked.

"Good question." Prometheus nodded. "In the Pit of Doom, by Skeleton King's fortress, a make-shift city has been constructed. The citizens stay there at night, but during the day they are taken to where Formless are constructing a new castle. The citizens are forced to help. Any that refuse, or disobey the King's orders, etc are taken to the old castle dungeons. We've managed to help a few citizens escape to the Alchemist's lab, which I'm sure you know. Above us, there are multiple undead creatures on patrol. They guard the prison they stuck all of the fighters in. At first, it was Jinmay, Super Quasar, the leader and second in command of the Frog Team, Mobius Quint's crew, Nee-Kee-Ta's brother and leader of her tribe, and a few other leaders. We attempted to break them out, but the crew we sent was captured. So we built our base up, and used the newly constructed computer to create a diagram of the base. They sent another crew. They were captured too. And so on. Eventually, all but me was captured. I've been trying to think of a way I can get everyone out, but not get anyone captured."

"That's quite a perplexing problem. We're going to need the others, and soon." Antauri said. "I'll call them. Hopefully they have not made it to the city just yet." He walked away from the others a bit, and called Sprx. Then Otto. Then Nova.

All he got was static.

* * *

><p>Chiro made his way back to his room, where he grabbed some supplies. "It's my turn on prison duty now..." the boy muttered to himself. "Wonder if we picked up any new prisoners lately..." he headed towards the dungeons, to relieve Skeleton King.<p>

"City's all yours," the blue eyed teen told the purple skulled creature in front of him.

"Good... I was just beginning to get bored down here," the skeleton replied.

"Good. I'd hate for you to be bored," Chiro responded, not liking having to work with this thing at all. Despite his evil status._  
><em>

The skeleton left, leaving the boy alone in front of the doors to the prison.

He took a quick walk through the hallway between cells, glancing out of the corners of his eyes to each cell. At the last ones, he almost did a double take.

A yellow monkey stood in one, glaring at him with all her might. A red monkey sat in another, also glaring. And a green one hummed in the last one, appearing not to notice the teen.

_'So some of the Hyper Force has been captured now...' _the teen thought. _'This is definitely turning in Julianos's favor...'_

* * *

><p><strong>Tauria: <strong>Dun dun dun...

**Chiro: **-sighs- What are you doing _now_?

**Tauria: **You think I'm gonna tell you?

**Chiro: **I hoped anyway...

**Tauria: **Nice try, but no, I won't.

**Chiro: **-sighs again- Please leave a review!


	12. Planning and A New CellMate

**Tauria: **:) I know it's been a bit since I last updated - though not as long as is my standard - but here ya go! A brand new chapter of _Losing_!

**Chiro: **...should I be scared?

**Tauria: **You're barely in this one, Chiro.

**Chiro: **Oh.

**Tauria: **However, you are in the next chapter quite a bit!

**Chiro: **...is that a good thing?

**Tauria: **No spoilers!

**Chiro: **Oh great... Anyway, Tauria does not own SRMT!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eleven<strong>

Antauri frowned. He did not like being out of communication with his fellow teammates. It was deeply unsettling, and something within him warned that this static was not caused because they were in a 'no-signal area', so to speak. This wasn't something that happened often. Gibson and Otto were constantly perfecting their communicators so they would always be able to reach each other.

"What is it?" Gibson asked his silver brother.

"I've tried to contact Nova, Sprx, and Otto, but all that my communicator is picking up is static," the silver monkey's frown deepened as he spoke as the feeling intensified.

"The only place I've found that comm units don't transmit is the prison." Prometheus looked deeply troubled by both his statement, and the silver monkey's. This was not good at _all_.

"Great. So they're in that prison up there, and we have no way of getting to them?" Gibson asked the purple robot.

"Not without getting captured ourselves, from what we've experienced."

Suddenly, a rather out-of-place smirk appeared on the silver monkey's face.

The other three people in the room gave Antauri odd looks. Gibson and Prometheus had never had the (dis)pleasure of seeing that smirk on Antauri's face. Fortunately (or unfortunately), Mandarin had.

"Why do I get the feeling you're about to say or do something deeply unsettling?" the orange monkey asked the cobalt eyed monkey. It had been a _long _time since Antauri had smirked like that... He hadn't done that since they were still learning from the Varon Mystics. And afterward, they had usually ended up in the office of Master Xan, or in the detention room. Though Mandarin couldn't say Antauri took _complete _blame in that. And _usually_ the smirk was only when Antauri was about to kick his tail as they were sparring.

"I have a plan." was the silver monkey's only answer. It did not comfort the onyx eyed monkey.

Mandarin still looked slightly unsettled, but as the plan was told to them, he couldn't deny that Antauri made sense - as much as he did not like the plan. In fact, he detested it completely.

* * *

><p>Keeping up a glare despite the fact you are completely exhausted is a hard thing indeed, as S-P-R-X-77 found out. However, despite his tiredness, he wanted to make Chiro feel as uncomfortable as possible. He would have hurled out insults too, but his brain failed him at the moment. He had kept up a nonstop insult act at Skeleton King, and now he was out of witty remarks.<p>

But, that didn't stop him from making sure the boy knew how angry - well, not really - he was at him. He hated that the Kid had been able to cause them this much pain even though all he had done was try to protect _them _from the King.

And as much as the red monkey hated to admit it, the Kid had been right to do so, in a way. After all, without that Shuggazoom would have little defense against King Julianos. Had the Kid not acted when he did, they would still be unconscious and possibly dead. At least they were here to help. Though by the same token, the fighters would have had a better leader. Someone who knew how to call the right shots. Someone who had some of the strongest Power Primates ever. But who knows? Things may have turned out worse if Chiro hadn't made the decisions he had.

But couldn't he have chosen a less painful way to do this? Couldn't he have done something that was less heart-wrenching? Why did he have to join the evil side?

Just as he was about to drift off to sleep - unwillingly - the door opened. Snapping his eyes open, Sprx looked up, and couldn't stop his jaw from dropping, and his eyes from widening.

He couldn't describe the amount of shock he felt when he saw his silver companion being dragged down the hall by two large, hulking formless. The unconscious monkey was thrown into a cell directly across from his. He made no move or sound, laying there in a lifeless heap.

The cell was exactly like his, so for the life of him, Sprx could not understand why Chiro did not say something about Antauri's phasing abilities.

* * *

><p>Skeleton King and King Julianos were constantly trying to see if they could find the rest of the team's whereabouts. They had located four of them, and now there was only two more to find, as well as a lone Freedom Fighter. However, all of them were hidden from their view. No matter how much they tried, no matter how much power they used, they still <em>could not <em>find the team.

King Julianos was getting to be _very _upset. He did not like that there was obviously someone more powerful then himself who was messing with his powers. He didn't like that the team continued to slip from his grasp. He didn't like anything about this at all.

It was making him uneasy.

The only way he was able to keep from driving himself virtually insane was reminding himself that three uprisers were no match for the army that he had working for him. It was his only comfort so far. He believed it fully, however.

Skeleton King, however, was not as easily comforted. He still recalled how many times there had only been one or two members of the Hyper Force had been left, and yet they had managed to defeat him _every single time_. It was frustrating. He did not tell his worries to the king, for he would not be listened to. Instead, he created a force of his own.

The team was cunning. They had the ability to adapt to new enemies. They had a bond with the Power Primate, and through that they had achieved the impossible in the past. He also did not believe that the boy was as under King Julianos' control as he thought.

His human side had designed them far too well.

* * *

><p><strong>Tauria: <strong>^.^ A bit of a cliffhanger, right? Hopefully I'll start updating this one as frequently as _Why Me? _so I can get it finished, and then start on the sequel to _Backwards_! ^.^

**Chiro: **...oh joy. Anyway, please leave a review!


	13. Phasing and Confusion

**Tauria**: Hi! I'm afraid I was wrong last author's note. We're not going to see more of Chiro until the NEXT chapter.

**Chiro: ** Make up your mind!

**Tauria: **You realize that in these stories, I am in control of your fate, right?

**Chiro: **...Well, yeah! But if you're going to be mean anyway...

**Tauria: **-sighs- Well, I don't own SRMT!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twelve<strong>

_Flashback_**  
><strong>

_Dark clouds loomed above all of Shuggazoom. They were not of a natural nature, but as an effect of King Julianos's dark magic. Two monkeys stood in the shadows by one of the broken buildings. One was orange, and the other silver. The orange one looked pained, and the silver just looked determined. _

_"Antauri, are you sure you want to go through with this?" Mandarin was clearly worried. _

_"Mandarin, I'll be fine. I promise." Antauri tried to reassure him. _

_Gibson and Prometheus had stayed at the Freedom Fighter Base. Mandarin was supposed to stay with them, but he had insisted on following the silver monkey. He wanted to try and sway the monkeys mind. He didn't want Antauri to put himself in danger. Gibson and Prometheus agreed with the orange monkey, but knew of the impossibility of changing Antauri's mind. Mandarin also knew, but he was going to try anyway. _

_Mandarin frowned, clearly not believing him. "We don't know what we're up against!"_

_"Which is why we **need **the others. Four of us isn't enough to obtain information. Four of us isn't enough to fight against the army he has. We don't even know what all it's comprised of. **They **do." Cobalt eyes refused to let go of the determination that their owner possessed. Antauri was **going **to go through with this, no matter what Mandarin said. "Besides... without all of us, we won't be able to bring Chiro back."**  
><strong>_

_"But that doesn't mean you need to go and get yourself captured!" Mandarin growled, even though he knew it wasn't true. That was plenty of reasons to purposefully get yourself captured... As long as you had a way back. And Antauri did. _

_Antauri merely gave a serene smile. "You know that this is the only way, Mandarin. Now, go back with the others, or at least hide yourself. They are coming."_

_And before the orange monkey could grab Antauri to pull him within the shadows to hide with him, the silver monkey stepped out of his grasp, continuing forward to where the Formless would intercept him. Grudgingly, Mandarin stepped into the shadows. _

_Antauri shut down his systems as soon as the Formless stepped into view, knowing that he would be rebooted later. _

_End Flashback_

Mandarin paced back and forth within the Freedom Fighter headquarters. He did not like that Antauri was gone. He did not like that the silver monkey had _allowed _himself to get captured. There _had _to be another way! There just _had_ to be a way that they could have freed the rest of the Hyper Force and Freedom Fighters _without _having Antauri captured.

_'I should have been the one who went. He shouldn't be putting his life at stake like this! It's just not... It's not right. If anyone should be risking their neck, it's me. After all... I'm the **traitor**__. On both sides. I know that now...' _

The logical part of Mandarin knew that this was truly the only way - and the fastest way, if there were more - to free the others. He knew that Antauri was not needlessly risking his life. He also knew that Antauri would bring them back .

But he was still worried.

During his time in Skeleton King's cells, Mandarin had had time to think about all of his decisions. It wasn't like being in stasis, when the pain had still been fresh. No. This time he was able to review it all. And he had regretted it. He was ashamed and sickened with himself that he had _allowed _himself to be corrupted by power. To turn against the city he was sworn to protect.

He had vowed to make it up to them.

He had vowed to be the brother that he _should _have been before.

But first, he had needed to get out of that cell.

He had pretended to cooperate. He had been given a mission to show his loyalty.

He did.

But not to them.

Of course, Skeleton King and King Julianos still had yet to find out about that...

* * *

><p><em><strong>System Reboot Complete. <strong>_

Cobalt blue eyes opened and blinked up at the ceiling. The silver monkey narrowly bit back a smirk. His plan had worked. He was now in the prison cells where the others were being kept, with only Chiro on guard, no Formless to be seen. He was in a cell where his phasing abilities would work to their full capacity. He could easily escape and break the others out. The only problem would be if there were guards outside. Which, there shouldn't be, if Mandarin, Gibson, and Prometheus did their part.

He sat up, testing out his mechanical limbs and body to make sure nothing had been damaged when he had been captured.

As soon as he sat up, he heard Sprx begin to speak, though it was muffled and distorted. After a few adjustments, the first sounds to hit his mechanical ears were Sprx throwing insults at Chiro. Antauri mentally sighed, though he was slightly grateful, as it gave him the opportunity to knock Chiro out without having to fight him.

That didn't mean he liked the things coming out of the red monkeys mouth (and it wasn't so much the cursing either, but the fact that the insults were directed _at his son _even if the boy was evil at the moment).

He could also hear Otto humming, as if trying to keep himself calm from being so close to their Chiro. The rest of the cells were silent, as if wanting to hear what Chiro's reaction to Sprx's steady stream of insults would be.

Antauri did not intend to give Chiro that opportunity.

Antauri went into his Ghost Mode, prepared to get out of the cell and touch a pressure point on Chiro's neck to knock the boy out. Taking a deep - and unnecessary - breath, he tensed, and then phased through the cell bars. Quickly, he returned to normal, reaching his hand out for the pressure point. Then, all of a sudden, he was being suspended in the air by the Power Primate... Chiro's Power Primate, to be exact.

"Wait! I'm on _your _side!" the boy cried out, effectively stopping Sprx's stream of insults.

* * *

><p><strong>Tauria: <strong>:D I just love cliffhangers...

**Chiro: **...I'm not sure whether to be happy or afraid.

**Tauria: **-shrugs-

**Chiro: **Please leave a review!


	14. Confessions and Bonding

**Tauria: **Hiya guys! It's been a bit since I've gotten to update, but here I am again! CX Anyways, here's chapter thirteen ^.^

**Chiro: **Tauria doesn't own SRMT.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen<strong>

Antauri stared at the boy in shock, completely stunned at his announcement. As much as he wanted to believe the boy - as much as he wanted his son back - he knew that he couldn't take any chances. He knew that if he believed him when he was lying, it could give Julianos the starting point he needed to take over completely - to eradicate the monkey team. Putting on a hard face, the silver monkey narrowed his eyes. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really." the teen bit his lip. "Sort of..."

"What do you mean _sort of_?" the red monkey asked from within his cage.

"You see, I'm not completely back to good... The Power Primate that Julianos corrupted and put with my own is still pretty strong," the raven haired teen confessed, running his hand through the spiky hair. "Let me explain. On Galia, when you touched your Power Primate with mine, it affected me. I didn't realize it at the time, but it did. When I got back, the small part of me that was still there began to fight. It eventually won back half of the Power Primate, and so at this moment in time, you could say that I'm half good, half evil. At night, I return to being Julinos's slave. But during the day, I'm me. It's really confusing, and it makes _no _sense at all, but it's what happened."

Antauri took a deep breath in thought, staring up at the boy. "While I sense you are telling the truth, I am afraid I cannot believe this - not yet. I have been deceived before by those I believed had come back to good. You will have to prove yourself before I can believe that."

"Yeah, Kid. This isn't something that just goes away - and while the time period fits for fighting, it's still kinda fishy." Sprx placed his two cents in, unable to entirely stay out of the conversation.

Chiro smiled, eyes shining slightly. "I understand that. I'd actually be pretty mad if you just believed me on the spot," he chuckled. Picking up a remote, he clicked a button, causing all of the cells to open. "At the edge of the Broken City (as Shuggazoom City is now called) there is a cave. I will meet you there tomorrow at noon with some valuable information."

Antauri nodded. "Very well."

"As for getting everyone out of here, I've been trying to puzzle that out for a while now..."

The silver monkey grinned. "Mandarin and Gibson should be-"

BOOM!

"Well, that's our cue."

"I'm not going to ask," Chiro put his hands up.

Chuckling, the silver monkey herded the former prisoners out of the prison. Bit-by-bit they all managed to get back to the Freedom Fighter HQ without too many problems.

* * *

><p>"So which one of you three came up with the stupid idea that Antauri should get himself captured?" The red monkey asked once everyone was settled. The team (and Jinmay, and Mandarin) had just finished sharing some valuable data about the war. Now, they were getting caught up, and sharing some refreshing free time to ease their moods.<p>

The orange and blue monkeys both stuck their thumbs towards Antauri. The cobalt eyed monkey just smiled, shrugging.

"Are you insane?!" Sprx asked him. "That was so incredibly stupid I don't even know where to _start_!"

Mandarin nodded. "That's what I told him, but he insisted that he needed to go."

Gibson shrugged. "He had that look on his face - the one that said that no matter how much protesting you do, he's going to do it, and you may as well back him up on it."

"But just before that, he gave the smirk of doom," Mandarin reported. "So I already knew that it was going to be something none of us would like _and _no one was going to be able to talk him out of it. I guarantee that we are going to see that smirk multiple times during our stay here."

Sprx raised an eyebrow at the orange monkey. "He has a 'smirk of doom'?"

"Well, that's what we called it when we were younger," Mandarin explained. "When we were still training on Koraladol, every time Antauri was going to do something completely stupid, he always had that smirk on his face."

Antauri laughed. "No, no. You're telling it wrong, Mandarin. I only had that smirk on when I was going to do something Mandarin wouldn't like. Other times, I had a different smirk - at least, according to him."

"You did!" the orange monkey protested.

Jinmay gave both monkeys an odd look as they continued to 'argue' about what went on.

Nova smiled. "Before we found out we were meant to protect the universe, Antauri and Mandarin were very close. Partially because of their training with the Mystics, and partially because they're brothers. After we found out about our destiny to stop the Skeleton King, Mandarin and Antauri both took their duties very seriously, and while they still had a good relationship, it lost the potency it once had. Mandarin became quite close to Otto, but it seemed as if Antauri had distanced himself away from all of us." Nova shrugged. "To see them acting like this again... It's very refreshing."

"Especially in light of everything that's going on now," Gibson commented, joining the girl's conversation.

"I don't know... I think it's just nice to see Antauri argue with someone... even if it's not really arguing." Sprx joined as well.

Nova shook her head at the red monkey, giving him a light punch to the shoulder. She stood. "Well, I think we should all get to bed now. We have a long day ahead of us, and we need the sleep."

"Nova is right," Antauri nodded, standing.

They all bade one another goodnight, and went to bed.

* * *

><p>As the sun began to set - not that anyone could see it - Chiro, even though he was deep in meditation, felt the pull on his Power Primate once more, and he knew that the darker side of his Power Primate was calling again. After successfully hiding away his memories, he allowed the dark Power Primate to take control of him once more, knowing that it was the only way he would ever be able to fight it.<p>

He wondered how long it would be until he could return to his team... Until King Julianos could be stopped... Until they could go back to fighting _Skeleton King _instead of _this _monster. He missed the way things had used to be...

* * *

><p><strong>Tauria: <strong>That last scene was pretty short, I know. It was really only meant to make sure everyone knew that Chiro was telling the truth ^.^

**Chiro: **Well... I suppose this is somewhat better then being completely evil...

**Tauria: **Good, glad you're beginning to enjoy this a bit more.

**Chiro: **Though I have to ask...

**Tauria: **Oh great...

**Chiro: **What is it with you and Antauri/Mandarin brotherly bonding?

**Tauria: **-sighs- It's cute. Duh.

**Chiro: **If you say so... Please leave a review!


	15. Information

**Tauria: **...This is mainly an informational chapter.

**Chiro: **At least I'm helping...

**Tauria: **-grins-

**Chiro: **...I seriously hope that doesn't mean anything bad.

**Tauria: **-elbows- It doesn't!

**Chiro: **-laughs-

**Tauria: **Just do the disclaimer...

**Chiro: **Tauria doesn't own SRMT.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Fourteen<strong>

The sun was almost to it's peak in the sky. Within the cave on the edge of the Broken City, Chiro paced. He was softly muttering to himself, thinking of all the ways he could say the vital information to his old team. He had gone through quite a bit to get this, and it sure ticked his bad side off that he was going to share this with them, but he knew that even his 'bad side' was starting to get annoyed at being another's slave.

Checking his watch again, he groaned at the fact that it was only 11:50. He was getting more and more impatient for the team to get here.

His nerves had never been so at war with themselves. One moment, he was happy because he would finally be able to see them again - and on good terms, hopefully. Then, after a few moments of thought, he was nervous again, because he had told quite a disjointed lie to the King and Skeleton King... one that he was sure that only Julianos had accepted. He was always expecting one of the servants or the King himself to jump out and call his bluff... or even to do so when the team was there, making him look like a fraud. Then, he was once again impatient for them to get there, knowing his time was limited.

However, none of this had happened so far, but his tension was not eased. He was still nervous; he still didn't know what was in store for him yet.

Finally, noon rolled around, and the team showed up with it. Sprx, Gibson, and Mandarin all eyed him distrustfully. Nova and Otto were wary, but much happier to see him. Antauri and Jinmay were both stoic, which Chiro took to mean that they weren't exactly sure how they felt yet... Or maybe they were, and just really good at hiding it.

"So you promised to give us some information?" Antauri raised an eyebrow at the boy.

Chiro nodded. "I've got a lot of information for you." he grabbed the bag he'd hidden in the rocks. Sprx tensed, obviously thinking that he had meant to grab something that could capture them. Chiro took careful precautions to make sure that his movements were slow, and cautious. He pulled a map of the castle out.

"First things first... this is a map with all of the ways you can get in the caste without being seen. On the back I've got the soldiers pathways and where the king, Skeleton King, and I usually go. There's probably more that I missed though, so I would suggest using this as a loose guide as to where everything is at what time." He gave them a quick rundown of the information, then rolled it up and gave it to Antauri. "Oh, and the blue marks are where he has magical alarms. Be careful around those. I'm not entirely sure what their range is."

The monkeys nodded.

"Next, King Julianos doesn't sleep. He acts as if he does, which is how he captures a lot of the citizens trying to take him out. The only time he's ever truly off guard is from noon until one in the afternoon, and midnight until one in the morning. However, during those times he has a whole bunch of dark spells that are supposed to protect him from anyone trying to go after him. I'm not sure how the spell works, unfortunately."

"Are you aware of everything that the spell does?" Antauri raised an eyebrow again.

"Unfortunately, no on that too. I only know the little he's explained, and then a few things from hearing the citizens talk among themselves. From what I hear, it's different each time. Some people have talked about wraiths, and some people have talked about their worst fears come to life... The best way to find out about it, is to talk to someone who's encountered the spell multiple times."

"Is there anyone that has?" Sprx asked, glowering at him. Chiro felt decidedly uncomfortable under the red monkeys gaze; he had obviously perfected his gaze long ago.

Chiro nodded. "He has some of the people in the city come and approach the spell, to make sure it's working. Sneaking into the city around the castle will be difficult, however. I understand that the freedom fighters freed some of the citizens from the city?" he looked over at Jinmay, knowing that while the team had been gone she had lead the freedom fighters.

She nodded. "Yeah... four people. One of them was blubbering nonsense, and as I understand they have him in one of the rooms in the place they've been staying in."

"He probably went through the spell when it was at its strongest, then," Chiro said softly. "Julianos has dulled it since then, but he'll be the best one to talk to about it... if you can get him to be coherent."

The monkeys nodded. "Anything else?" Mandarin asked, glaring at him.

The boy nodded. "At some point, some of the Formless are going to be returning to the Broken City and getting some things that the king left there. You should be able to sneak aboard or even get whatever the king wants, and use it against him. Whatever he wants, it's important."

"When are the Formless coming?"

"Sometime in the next few days. You'll know when they are, trust me. Apparently they're searching by the prison here. That's all the information I have at the moment, though I'm working on getting more. I've heard some rumors around the castle I need to check out. I'll figure out a way to let you know when/if I get more information."

"At what time do you resume being evil?" Gibson asked him. "And at what time do you resume being good?"

"The moment the sun slips below the horizon, and the moment then sun fully rises," Chiro gave a slight smile. "I'm not entirely sure about the exact time..."

The monkeys and Jinmay nodded. Chiro checked the time once more.

"I gotta go," he said. "I'm expected to sit through another one of Julianos's rants," he made a face.

"Have fun with that," Jinmay offered a small smile which he returned.

He left with a wave, deciding that had gone better then expected.

* * *

><p>Back at the Freedom Fighter base, the team was sitting in a circle, trying to decide what the best course of action would be. None of them was sure whether or not to believe anything Chiro had said. They had been arguing about for the last hour or so, none of them entirely sure what they wanted to do.<p>

"I'm telling you, we should talk to the person Chiro mentioned! We should see if he's telling the truth about that, then decide from there," Gibson pressed.

"No way, Brain Strain! For all we know, the king was just giving Chiro a bone to throw at us! We can't trust nothing any of 'em said!"

"Sprx, Antauri even said that-"

Gibson's reply was cut off by a loud rumbling reminiscent of an earthquake, coupled with the sound of marching feet. It was impossible to tell how many soldiers were coupled with whatever made the noise, but it soon dissipated, though it was distinctly heading towards the prison.

"...looks like he was right about one thing," Otto said. "Whatever that is, it's probably headed to get that thing that the King wanted!"

"Otto's probably right. Come on!" Nova said, standing. The others were quick to follow her lead.

* * *

><p><strong>Chiro: <strong>Really? You end it there?

**Tauria: **Mhm.

**Chiro: **So what's he want, anyway?

**Tauria: **-shrugs-

**Chiro: **...you seriously don't know?!

**Tauria: **I know! I'm just not going to tell you!

**Sprx: **Yeah, we buy that Tauria.

**Tauria: **-glares- I DO!

**Chiro: **-laughs- Please leave a review!


End file.
